Routes for airport and downtown traffic
The elevated, one-way roadway gives drivers on Kukulcán Boulevard an airport-bound route. Drivers bound for downtown Cancún can instead enter the Nichupté Bridge through the interchange.
For travelers arriving from the airport and heading to Punta Cancún, the route uses a one-way street behind Plaza Kukulcán. Vehicles leaving the Nichupté Bridge for the airport will remain on Kukulcán Boulevard.
The U-turn beside La Joya Hospital remains restricted to local vehicles and closed to other traffic.
The full interchange extends 1.92 kilometers, including roughly 770 meters of elevated roadway and side roads connecting with existing streets, according to Riviera Maya News. Its design separates traffic into two independent sections: a two-lane section and a single-lane section for the opposite direction.
A connection for the Nichupté Bridge
At the ceremony, Lezama described the interchange as a complement to the Nichupté Bridge, which was inaugurated on May 2, 2026. Officials consider the completed interchange necessary for the bridge to reach full operating capacity because it provides the connection to Kukulcán Boulevard, Riviera Maya News reported.
The 11.2-kilometer bridge links Cancún's residential area with the hotel zone. It accommodates three traffic lanes and a two-way bike path, reduces commuting time by as much as 50 minutes and is estimated to carry about 12,000 vehicles daily.
Mexico's Secretariat of Infrastructure, Communications and Transport (SICT) estimates that the interchange will benefit about 1.32 million residents. The agency also expects it to offer an alternative route during busy tourist seasons and emergencies in the hotel zone.
Federal funding and remaining work
SICT is carrying out the federal project under agency head Jesús Antonio Esteva Medina. Figures the agency released in October 2026 put the investment at 484 million pesos, according to Riviera Maya News.
Construction began in April 2026. On October 6, SICT reported that the interchange was 74% complete, with work underway on six fronts and 2,890 jobs generated. Riviera Maya News identified October as the original completion target and reported a roughly two-month schedule delay, following a similar delay on the Nichupté Bridge.
President Claudia Sheinbaum and Lezama inspected construction on October 17 during the president's visit to Quintana Roo. Sheinbaum has backed the road project throughout, while her predecessor, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, approved development of the Nichupté Bridge.
Lezama thanked Sheinbaum and her administration at Sunday's ceremony. Referring to the president's support for the interchange, she said: "We secured it; you never hesitated; you always said yes."
Lezama said the interchange's lane for traffic in the opposite direction is expected to open in the coming weeks.
