ROSARITO BEACH – It’s now easier and faster to reach your favorite lobster meal in Puerto Nuevo.

Baja California officials announced that they have finished work on a key bridge connecting to the town famous for its lobster deals, south of Rosarito Beach.

Since Saturday, the bridge located in the tiny town of El Morro now has four lanes instead of two. It’s the last part of the expansion of the road that connects the fishing village of Popotla, just south of Rosarito Beach, to Puerto Nuevo.

In August, the state began the project to expand the two-lane bridge, one of the most traveled thoroughfares in the area, especially by surfers and other tourists from Southern California.

Bottlenecks were common at peak times and holidays.

The expansion, which cost around $252,000, will greatly ease the flow of traffic, said Alfredo Torres, an official with the state agency that deals with infrastructure and urban development.

People who wanted to go to Puerto Nuevo frequently opted to take the toll road because they considered it safer. Now they have an option that’s free.

With the completion of the expansion project, the old free road from Popotla to Puerto Nuevo now has four lanes of white-top cement, signage and new access to parking areas. The last part of that project was the expansion of the bridge at El Morro, a tiny town with 86 inhabitants where thousands of people cross daily from Tijuana to Ensenada.

The free road crosses Fox Studios, the cultural and tourism center of Calafia and Las Dunas (the dunes), among other popular sites.

That road is closer to the area’s businesses, hotels and restaurants, but above all to the beautiful scenery that routes offers.

Omar.millan@sandiegored.com