The Largest Investment in History Is Already Underway, Mexico’s Infrastructure Ministry Says

ByJessika Becerra

This article by Jessika Becerra originally appeared in the August 24, 2026 edition of La Jornada, Mexico’s leading left-wing daily newspaper.

Mexico City. Construction is already rebounding, insecurity on the highways is already falling, and the largest investment in history is already underway, Jesús Esteva, head of the Secretariat of Infrastructure, Communications, and Transport (SICT), stressed this afternoon.

“By the end of this administration, we will have built and modernized 5,000 kilometers of highways, as well as 619 bridges and interchanges; 3,000 kilometers of new railways; and modernized and expanded 62 airports. All these works generate nearly 4 million jobs,” he said.

Speaking at the forum “Investment in Infrastructure as a Driver of Growth: Opportunities of the Plan México,” he stressed that by 2040 the government plans to build close to 5,300 kilometers of highways, and by 2050, another 6,300 kilometers.

“We are investing, in some cases, historic figures, and with a new model as part of the Infrastructure Investment Plan for Development with Well-Being (…) this year we increased investment by an additional 722 billion pesos, 2 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

“And for the six-year term, the target is 5.6 million pesos in other strategic sectors (…) This translates into more highways and expressways,” he emphasized.

The official explained that in 2026, 145 billion pesos will be invested in highway infrastructure, and that the target is to build 802 kilometers through the SICT and 841 kilometers through Banobras, for a total investment of 113 billion pesos.

He also specified that in 2025, the construction of 135 artisanal roads was completed, and that this year the target is 388, for a total of 900 kilometers.

Before private-sector representatives, Esteva said that periodic maintenance will be given to 15,800 kilometers of the toll-free federal network, which spans 43,000 kilometers.

“It is almost half of the toll-free federal network that we will be attending to for repaving. It is an investment that had not been made for a single year in several decades,” the secretary of state said.

Road Corridors and Bridges to Be Modernized

Separately, he detailed that 2,246 kilometers of the 10 priority corridors will be modernized and expanded, of which two are already completed, seven in progress, and one set to begin in September. In addition, 21 strategic bridges and interchanges will be built and modernized.

It is not only about building, but about maintaining, because maintaining is also important for road safety.

Jesús Antonio Esteva

In railways, 586 billion pesos will be invested for the 2025-2030 period, with 105 billion in 2026 alone. These are freight trains and passenger trains that will reduce logistics costs and connect communities with ports, and will make nearshoring viable.

In airports, there will be 136 billion pesos in mixed investment, both private and public, with the modernization of terminals, and two new airports in Tepic and Puerto Escondido.

At the start of his remarks, Esteva commented that after nearly two years of contraction, the construction industry returned to growth in April and recorded its first annual growth of 0.4 percent in the real value of production.

In June, according to the monthly indicator of industrial activity, construction advanced 4.2 percent, the official stated, referring to data from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI).