Resurfacing work coupled with a multiple-vehicle collision brought traffic to a virtual standstill in both directions this morning on the highway between Monterrey, Nuevo Leeon, and the border city of Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas.
The road work started early this morning between the 53 and 57-kilometer markers on the highway, leaving just one northbound and one southbound lane open.
But about 8:00am two semi-trailers, a bus and two cars were involved in an accident at the northbound 68-kilometer marker in the Nuevo León municipality of Sabinas Hidalgo that left three people with minor injuries.
One truck was transporting ice that spilled on to the highway.
By 11:40am, one of the lanes in the accident zone had been reopened but traffic jams continued.
Even before the accident, truckers and other motorists had taken to social media to vent their frustration about the snarled conditions.
One truck driver traveling from Nuevo Laredo to Saltillo said he expected his travel time to double from five hours to 10.
Some motorists traveling towards the U.S. border chose to pull over and wait until the highway was cleared and traffic conditions improved.
While motorists were stuck, the newspaper Reforma reported, one local salesman took advantage of a captive market by selling drinks and snacks stacked onto a hand truck, known in Mexico as a diablito.
Sodas were reportedly his best seller, going for as much as 18 pesos (US $0.88) a pop.
