Mexico’s limited road network remains one of the country’s most pressing development challenges, especially as nearshoring redefines its economic geography. As global supply chains pivot toward North America, logistics efficiency has become a decisive factor for competitiveness. In response, President Claudia Sheinbaum’s administration has launched the Infrastructure Plan 2025–2030, a USD 20 billion programme aimed at upgrading the nation’s mobility backbone. 

The plan prioritises the construction and rehabilitation of highways and bridges across nine key states - Colima, Morelos, Nayarit, Veracruz, the State of Mexico, Baja California, Querétaro, Sinaloa and Tlaxcala - with completion expected by 2028. Its centrepiece includes 19 bridges and interchanges, representing an investment of around USD 715 million and covering over 16 kilometres of new or improved infrastructure. 

While the projects promise to unlock regional development, a leading infrastructure executive noted, “A good portion of the roadworks that have been committed to aren’t exactly new investments, they’re projects that were already underway or have been sitting on the back burner for quite some time.” Still, their revival aligns with nearshoring momentum and the upcoming United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (“USMCA”) review next year, which has renewed pressure to strengthen trade corridors and logistics connectivity. 

Unlike previous administrations, President Sheinbaum has shown limited enthusiasm for traditional concession models. Her government prefers public financing, contracting private firms for construction rather than long-term operation, reflecting an ambition to strengthen public companies and provide them with greater autonomy and resources. 

Fiscal realities, however, remain a constraint. “The issue is the government’s limited investment capacity, which is why they’re looking into mixed funding models,” observed the executive. The Mexico Plan (“PM”), which places infrastructure at the centre of efforts to raise combined public and private investment to 25 percent of GDP by 2026 and 28 percent by 2030, underscores this strategy. 

“The issue is the government’s limited investment capacity, which is why they’re looking into mixed funding models.”

Executive at a leading infrastructure company, Mexico

The private sector is expected to contribute over 80 percent of total investment, a “positive sign for investment in other areas of Mexico’s economy,” remarked a government liaison operator. Infrastructure spending alone is projected to exceed 900 billion pesos in 2026, among the highest in national history. While preference will go to Mexican construction firms, tenders will also open to US and Canadian companies, a pragmatic gesture ahead of the free trade agreement’s review. 

The sector remains dominated by a few heavyweight players, such as Mota Engil, Grupo Indi and Carso, with CICSA, Prodemex and Coconal also active. “The profit margins for private firms aren’t as wide as they used to be and the payment flow isn’t as steady either. Only very large construction companies can operate under these conditions,” one executive observed. Still, the Secretariat of Infrastructure, Communications and Transport has secured its budgets, sending “a clear message of certainty that there will be no issues with payments to suppliers.” 

“The profit margins for private firms aren’t as wide as they used to be and the payment flow isn’t as steady either.”

Executive at a leading infrastructure company, Mexico

Beyond roads, efforts are advancing in Manzanillo and Veracruz, Mexico’s key Pacific and Gulf ports. “There’s great interest in expanding railway projects proposed during the previous administration, particularly the train that will pass through AIFA in the State of Mexico,” added the leading infrastructure executive. The Army may take charge of some rail segments, though “the debate has not yet been resolved regarding what the Army will take on … and what will be done with private sector participation.” 

Infrastructure investment is not just about concrete and steel but also enabling growth. Better roads will strengthen manufacturing, trade and automotive exports, Mexico’s main source of foreign currency, while enhancing tourism in the Riviera Maya, Bahía de Banderas and Los Cabos. The agro-industry and services sector, from leasing to hospitality, will gain from the thousands of jobs created. Development and commercial banks are also showing greater confidence in financing when public funds are unavailable. 

Despite a challenging global backdrop that, as the infrastructure executive noted, “has made the processes for executing the infrastructure programme slower than was optimistically expected when the programme was presented last year,” Mexico continues to push forward. The Infrastructure Plan 2025–2030 underscores the nation’s bet on connectivity as the cornerstone of competitiveness, positioning Mexico as a more integrated, efficient and resilient logistics hub at the heart of North America.