El Salvador Opens 420-Metre Guatemala Bridge
EL SALVADOR · INFRASTRUCTURE
Key Facts
- The country El Salvador is the smallest country in Central America, led by President Nayib Bukele, and has used the US dollar since 2001.
- What happened President Bukele inaugurated a new four-lane bridge to Guatemala over the Paz River on Wednesday 14 October, with traffic due to start on Thursday.
- Where La Hachadura, in western Ahuachapán department, linked to Pedro de Alvarado on the Guatemalan side of the Pacific coast highway.
- Size and cost About 420 metres long, built for US$32.6 million, with about 1.4 km of new access roads.
- Why it matters The old crossing closed whenever the river flooded in the rainy season, halting traffic on the main Pacific route.
- Who benefits About 43,000 people in nearby border communities, plus truckers and travellers on a crossing used by about 1.5 million vehicles a year.
El Salvador has opened a new Guatemala bridge over the Paz River at La Hachadura, the border crossing on its Pacific coast highway. President Nayib Bukele inaugurated the 420-metre, US$32.6 million structure on Wednesday 14 October, and traffic was due to start on Thursday.
The old bridge closed whenever the river flooded in the rainy season, cutting a trade road that runs on through Guatemala to Mexico. For US shippers and travellers, the new crossing promises fewer weather closures on the overland route out of a dollarised economy.
A New Crossing Over the Paz River
The new Guatemala bridge honours General Manuel José Arce, a Salvadoran independence leader who became the first president of the Federal Republic of Central America. It links La Hachadura, in the San Francisco Menéndez district, with the Guatemalan border town of Pedro de Alvarado.
Bukele put the cost at US$32.6 million, according to the private daily El Diario de Hoy and the state-owned Diario El Salvador. Both papers call it the second-longest bridge in the country, and El Diario de Hoy said only the 664-metre Integración bridge is longer.
The 420-metre length includes the approaches, and the 173-metre main span has no supports in the riverbed, the news site La Página reported. The Guatemala bridge carries four lanes, two in each direction, plus pavements, drainage and approach roads.
Why the Old Border Bridge Failed
The Paz River forms part of the border between the two countries, and it rises sharply during the rainy season. When the water climbed, the old crossing had to close, leaving truckers, traders and travellers waiting for the river to fall.
“We have a long rainy season, it rains in May, June, July and even November,” Bukele said, according to El Diario de Hoy. “We cannot keep closing the border with our biggest neighbour,” he said in the version reported by Diario El Salvador.
Bukele said the two governments agreed in 2010 to build a new bridge, but nothing happened for years. “The years went by and it was not done,” he said, according to El Diario de Hoy.
Years of Delay on the Guatemalan Side
El Salvador’s public works minister said in October 2024 that the whole project would be finished in early 2025. He later blamed the delays on slow land purchases for the access road on the Guatemalan side.
In June 2026, the Guatemalan daily Prensa Libre reported the main works were done, but the bridge sat unused without a link to Guatemalan customs. Traffic was due to move onto the new bridge from Thursday 15 October, El Diario de Hoy and La Página reported.
What Bukele Promised at the Opening
Bukele said the new Guatemala bridge is earthquake-resistant, an important point in a country hit by strong earthquakes. He also said it was designed to last more than 50 years, according to El Diario de Hoy and Diario El Salvador.
He said El Salvador’s economy needs more trade and more exchange of goods with its neighbours to keep growing. Construction created about 1,380 direct and indirect jobs, according to both papers.
A Gate on the Coastal Trade Road
The Guatemala bridge project includes about 1.4 km of new access roads split between both countries. El Diario de Hoy reported that these connect to the CA-2, the coastal highway that carries freight along the Pacific side of Central America.
The crossing also gets new migration offices with waiting rooms, restrooms and video surveillance, plus pedestrian walkways and brighter lighting. Bukele said about 1.5 million vehicles a year use the crossing, and about 43,000 people live in nearby communities.
What It Means for You
If you drive or ship goods between the two countries, the new Guatemala bridge should keep the Pacific crossing open when the Paz River floods. El Salvador uses the US dollar, so travellers from the United States face no currency exchange on the Salvadoran side.
On Tuesday 13 October, Washington said Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Bukele discussed keeping ports and key infrastructure free of malign foreign influence. The same day, Bukele announced a planned US$2.9 billion energy and water investment by the Spanish group Cox.
What Is Not Known
It is not clear whether Guatemala has finished the four-lane link to its customs post and highway that Prensa Libre reported missing in June. Officials have also not said what will happen to the old bridge once traffic moves to the new Guatemala bridge.
Bukele promised faster journeys, according to Diario El Salvador, but no estimate of the time saved for trucks has been published. A bypass to keep heavy trucks out of the town of Pedro de Alvarado had not been built by June, Prensa Libre reported.
More: El Salvador news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is El Salvador’s new Guatemala bridge?
The new Guatemala bridge crosses the Paz River at La Hachadura, in El Salvador’s western Ahuachapán department, and lands at Pedro de Alvarado in Guatemala. Its access roads connect to the CA-2, the Pacific coast highway between the two countries.
How much did the bridge cost?
Bukele put the cost at US$32.6 million, according to Salvadoran newspapers. The bridge is about 420 metres long and comes with about 1.4 km of new access roads.
Why did El Salvador need a new border bridge?
The old crossing had to close when the Paz River flooded in the rainy season, halting traffic between the two countries. The new four-lane bridge is meant to keep the route open and is built to resist earthquakes.
When does traffic start on the new bridge?
Traffic was due to start using the bridge on Thursday 15 October, the day after the inauguration. The crossing also has new migration offices, waiting rooms and restrooms.
Does El Salvador use the US dollar?
Yes, El Salvador has used the US dollar as its official currency since 2001. Visitors from the United States can pay in dollars without exchanging money.
Sources: El Diario de Hoy (elsalvador.com), 14 October 2026; Diario El Salvador, 14 October 2026; La Página, 14 October 2026; La Página, 14 October 2026; Prensa Libre, 12 June 2026; Diario El Salvador, 23 October 2024; Diario El Salvador, 27 February 2025; Diario El Mundo, 13 October 2026; El Diario de Hoy (elsalvador.com), 13 October 2026.
Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief · Editorial standards · Report an error