Roads in Cuba
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The road network of Cuba consists of 60,858 km (37,815 mi) of roads, of which over 29,850 km (18,550 mi) are paved and 31,038 km (19,286 mi) are unpaved. The Caribbean country counts also 654 km (406 mi) of motorways (autopistas).
Motorways
Overview
Cuba has eight toll-free expressways named Autopistas, seven of them centralized in the city of Havana and connected to each other by the Havana Ring Road, with the exception of the motorway to Mariel. The carriageway is divided and the lanes in each direction go from two to four. Maximum speed limit is 120 km/h (75 mph). In the Isla de la Juventud, the dual carriageway from Nueva Gerona to La Fe is classified as a motorway.[1]
The principal motorways A1 and A4, running from the west to the east of the island and partly unbuilt (most of A1 sections), are the only one numbered and shortened with "A".[1] As well as the Carretera Central covers the entire island, they are projected to perform the same function as motorways.
The route from Matanzas to Varadero of the Vía Blanca is the only toll road between Cuban motorways. The other autopistas have short routes and run from Havana to its suburban towns in Artemisa and Mayabeque provinces.
List of motorways
| Sign | Autopista[1] | Route | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
A1 (Autopista Nacional) | Havana-Jagüey Grande-Santa Clara-Sancti Spíritus-Ciego de Ávila-Camagüey-Las Tunas-Holguín-Bayamo[note 1]-Santiago de Cuba-Guantánamo | 900 km (560 mi) (c. 448 km (278 mi) operating) | Operating sections are:[2][1]
Other sections are under construction and planned. |
 |
Autopista A1-1 (Autopista Santa Clara) | A1-Santa Clara | ||
 |
A2 (Havana Ring Road) (Primer Anillo de La Habana) |
Havana (from Marianao to the Harbor) | 36 km (22 mi) | Beltway serving Havana, a branch serves the José Martí Airport |
 |
A3 (Autopista Havana-Melena) | Havana-Melena del Sur | 32 km (20 mi) | ... |
 |
A4 (Autopista Este-Oeste) | Havana-Artemisa-Pinar del Río | 156 km (97 mi) | Classified as part of the "Autopista Nacional" |
 |
A4-1 (Autopista ZEDM) | A4-Port of Mariel | ||
| Vía Blanca (I-3) | Havana-Matanzas-Varadero-Cárdenas | 150 km (93 mi) (138 km (86 mi) as motorway) | Part of the "Circuito Norte" (CN) highway Toll road from Matanzas to Varadero | |
 
|
Autopista del Mediodía (2-101) | Havana-San Antonio de los Baños | 18 km (11 mi) | Incorporates the San Pedro Highway Strip, designed to be usable as an aircraft runway |
| Autopista Havana–Mariel | Havana-Playa Baracoa-Mariel | 26 km (16 mi) | Part of the "Circuito Norte" (CN) highway | |
| Autopista de la Isla de la Juventud | Nueva Gerona-La Fe | 15 km (9.3 mi) | Located in the Isle of Youth | |
|
Autopista Sancti Spiritus (4-66) | A1-Sancti Spíritus | 11 km (6.8 mi) | |
| Autopista Artemisa | A4-Artemisa |
State highways
Cuba has a complex network of single carriageway highways, most of them numbered, named Carreteras or Circuitos. Some of the most prominent are:
- Carretera Central (CC, Central Road, code N-1, 1,435 km), the most important one, is a west–east highway spanning the length of the island of Cuba from the municipality of Sandino, in Pinar del Río Province, to the one of Baracoa, in Guantánamo Province, for a total length of 1,435 km.
- Circuito Norte (CN - Northern Road, 1,222 km): it runs from Mantua (Pinar del Río Province) to Baracoa (Guantánamo Province) crossing the northern coast of Cuba, through Viñales municipal territory, Bahía Honda, Mariel, Havana, Varadero, Matanzas, Cárdenas, Sagua la Grande, Caibarién, Yaguajay, Morón, Nuevitas, Puerto Padre, Holguín, Mayarí, Sagua de Tánamo and Moa. The Vía Blanca and the Panamericana, both classified as motorways,[citation needed] are part of it.[1]
- Circuito Sur (CS, Southern Road, 491 km): it runs from Artemisa to Sancti Spíritus, through Güira de Melena, Batabanó, Güines, Jagüey Grande, Aguada de Pasajeros, Cienfuegos and Trinidad.[1]
- Circuito Sur de Oriente (CSO, Southeastern Road, 347 km): it runs from Bayamo to Santiago de Cuba through Manzanillo, Niquero, Pilón and Chivirico.
Other more minor state highways are numbered east to west per pre-1970s province, with the numbering system largely going unupdated and unused also after the 70s. The numbers are 1 for Pinar del Río Province, 2 for La Habana Province, 3 for Matanzas Province, 4 for Las Villas Province, 5 for Camagüey Province, and 6 for Oriente Province, with each province having secondary numbers for each road, also going from east to west 1-999. These highways include
 |
| Common name | Number | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Isabel Rubio–Mantua Road, Road of Guane |  |
|
| Road to Manuel Lazo |  |
|
| Autopista del Mediodía, Avenida 23 | |
|
| Autopista del Mediodía, Road to San Antonio de Los Baños | |
|
| Vía Monumental |  |
|
| Autopista Sancti Spiritus | |
|
| Villa Clara–Cienfuegos Road, Santa Clara–Cienfuegos Road, Esperanza–Cienfuegos Road |  |
|
| Road of Malezas, Santa Clara–Encrucijada Road |  |
|
| Santa Clara–Caibarién Road, Road of Camajuaní |  |
|
| Sancti Spíritus–Yaguajay Road |  |
|
| Nuevitas–Camagüey Road |  |
|
| Road to Niquero |  |
|
| Gramma Road |  |
|
| Bayamo–Las Tunas Road |  |
See also
Notes
- ^ A1 project through Granma and Holguín provinces is yet undefined
- ^ passing through the provinces of Mayabeque, Matanzas, Cienfuegos, Villa Clara and Sancti Spíritus
References
- ^ a b c d e f Source: Mapa de Carreteras de Cuba (Road map of Cuba). Ediciones GEO, Havana 2011 - ISBN 959-7049-21-X
- ^ Satellite images of Cuba at Google Maps
External links
Media related to Roads in Cuba at Wikimedia Commons