Puerto Rico Highway 52
Highway 52 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ruta 52 (Spanish) | ||||
| Autopista Luis A. Ferré | ||||
Map PR-52 highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by Puerto Rico DTPW | ||||
| Length | 108.5 km[1] (67.4 mi) | |||
| Existed | 1968[2]–present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end |   PR-2 / PR-9 in Canas | |||
| North end |   PR-1 / PR-18 in Monacillo Urbano | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| Territory | Puerto Rico | |||
| Municipalities | Ponce, Juana Díaz, Santa Isabel, Salinas, Cayey, Caguas, Trujillo Alto, San Juan | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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Puerto Rico Highway 52 (PR-52), a major toll road in Puerto Rico, is also known as Autopista Luis A. Ferré. It was formerly called Expreso Las Américas. It runs from PR-1 in southwest Río Piedras and heads south until it intersects with highway PR-2 in Ponce.[3] At its north end, the short PR-18 continues north from PR-52 towards San Juan. This short segment is known as Expreso Las Américas, the only segment of the route still unofficially bearing this name, since PR-18 is officially named Roberto Sánchez Vilella Expressway. The combined route of PR-18 and PR-52 runs concurrent with the unsigned Interstate Highway PRI-1. Toll stations are located in San Juan, Caguas, Salinas, Juana Díaz, and Ponce.
Puerto Rico Highway 52 south in Cayey
Puerto Rico Highway 52 north between Salinas and Cayey
Puerto Rico Highway 52 north near Santa Isabel
Route description
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PR-52 is Puerto Rico's longest and second most traveled tollway. The road is mostly a 2-lane road in each direction. The section between the Caguas toll and the town of Salinas crosses the Cordillera Central, resulting in a more curvy and hilly section than the other sections of the highway. It also experiences more fog and lower visibility than the rest of the road due to the altitude. The speed limit is also reduced in the area.
One of Puerto Rico's only two rest areas is located on this expressway. map The other rest area is located on PR-53 (northbound only) near Humacao/Naguabo municipality border although it is signed as a scenic zone and thus just like the rest area on PR-52, it has no facilities. map The rest area, however, has no relief, vending, or service facilities such as a restaurant or a gas station. The rest area does include an important monument, the Monumento al Jíbaro Puertorriqueño. The whimsical Tetas de Cayey are visible from this rest area as well.
PR-52 passes extremely close to the central town of Cidra between approximately kilometer markers 34 and 30. In fact, Exit 32 to Guavate is so close to the Cidra border that once the exit is taken and instead of going south to Guavate and Patillas through PR-184, going north it quickly ends at PR-1 and a welcome sign to Cidra is shown. The tollway itself never enters Cidra itself, but PR-1 (the parallel road from Ponce to San Juan) does.
The speed limit from San Juan to Caguas is 55 miles per hour (89 km/h). From Caguas to Salinas, it is 45 miles per hour (72 km/h), and from Salinas to Ponce, it is 65 miles per hour (105 km/h).
The Monumento al Jíbaro Puertorriqueño and Las Tetas de Cayey
View from PR-52 in Cayey
A Toyota Tacoma pick-up truck on PR-52 south, with water and flag, after Hurricane Maria (2017)
History
The building of this 108-kilometer (67 mi)[4] expressway took place during the administration of governor Luis A. Ferré, who was trained as a civil engineer himself. [5] It was built at a cost of $125 million.[6] PR-52 was Puerto Rico's first toll road ever. Construction for this road started in October 1968 during the administration of governor Roberto Sánchez Vilella, also a trained engineer, and continued during Luis Ferre's tenure. It was then named Autopista Las Américas, and it was planned to run from San Juan to Ponce.[7] On 9 December 1993, Law 118 was enacted which renamed the roadway Autopista Luis A. Ferré.[7] The expressway is currently the longest in the island, but this will change when the 83-km-long PR-22 extends to Aguadilla. In March 1969 the roadway became a tolled expressway. The Puerto Rico Highway and Transportation Authority reports that tolls were added to the highway to speed up its construction.[7] The road was completed in 1975 during the first administration of governor Rafael Hernández Colón.[8]
On 22 July 2019, more than half a million Puerto Ricans shut down PR-52 demanding the resignation of the then governor, Ricardo Rosselló, following a leaked Telegram chat between the governor and several members of his cabinet.
Tolls
| Location | Toll | Direction | AutoExpreso acceptance |
AutoExpreso replenishment (R) lane |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ponce | $0.85 | Two-way | 
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| Juana Díaz Oeste | $0.55 | Northbound |
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| Juana Díaz Este | $0.55 | Southbound |
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| Salinas Rampa Sur | $0.45 | Northbound |
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| Salinas | $1.90 | Northbound |
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| Caguas Sur | $1.10 | Southbound |
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| Caguas Norte | $1.65 | Northbound |
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| Montehiedra | $0.40 | Northbound (ramp) |
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Exit list
PR-52 south at its exit to PR-1 south in San Juan
PR-52 south approaching exits 1A-B to PR-177 in San Juan
PR-52 south at exit 2 to PR-199 in San Juan
PR-52 south entering Ponce at its interchange with PR-10
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| Municipality | Location | km[1] | mi | Exit | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ponce | Canas | 108.5 | 67.4 | 108 |  PR-2 west (PRI-2 / Expreso Roberto Sánchez Vilella) – Mayagüez, Guayanilla | Southern terminus of Interstate PR1 and PR-52. Splits into PR-2. PR-2 exit 224. |
| 108.0 | 67.1 |    PR-2 east (Ponce Bypass) / PR-9 north (Avenida Baramaya) – Ponce Oeste | ||||
| Playa | 105.5 | 65.6 | Ponce Toll Plaza | |||
| 104.9 | 65.2 | 104 |  PR-12 (Avenida Rafael Cordero Santiago) – Ponce Centro, Plaza del Caribe, Ponce Playa, Zona Portuaria | Signed as exits 104A (north) and 104B (south) | ||
| Vayas | 100.9– 100.8 | 62.7– 62.6 | 101 | PR-1 – Ponce Centro, Mercedita | Signed as exits 101A (west) and 101B (east) | |
| Sabanetas | 98.0 | 60.9 | 98 |   PR-10 – Ponce Norte, Adjuntas, Mercedita Airport | Signed as exits 98A (north) and 98B (south), access to San Lucas Hospital | |
| Coto Laurel | 95.5 | 59.3 | 95 |  PR-506 – Coto Laurel | ||
| Juana Díaz | Sabana Llana | 93.8 | 58.3 | Juana Díaz Oeste Toll Plaza (toll northbound only) | ||
| Amuelas | 91.2 | 56.7 | 91 |  PR-149 (Bulevar Carlos Bernier Rodríguez) – Juana Díaz, Villalba, Fort Allen | ||
| Río Cañas Abajo | 85.6 | 53.2 | Juana Díaz Este Toll Plaza (toll southbound only) | |||
| Santa Isabel | Descalabrado | 81.4 | 50.6 | 80 |  PR-536 – Descalabrado, Los Llanos | Westbound exit and eastbound entrance |
| Descalabrado–Felicia 2 line | 77.7 | 48.3 | 77 |  PR-545 – Gabia | ||
| Felicia 2 | 77.0– 76.9 | 47.8– 47.8 | 76 |  PR-153 – Santa Isabel, Coamo | ||
| Salinas | Lapa | 66.2 | 41.1 | 65 |  PR-1 – Salinas, Campamento Santiago | Toll on eastbound off-ramp and westbound on-ramp |
| 61.5 | 38.2 | 61 |   PR-53 east (Autopista José M. Dávila Monsanto) – Guayama | The northbound exit into the southwestern terminus of PR-53. | ||
| 60.8 | 37.8 | 60 | PR-53 east (Autopista José M. Dávila Monsanto) – Guayama | Directional T interchange; The left southbound exit into the southwestern terminus of PR-53 | ||
| 57.9 | 36.0 | Salinas Toll Plaza (toll northbound only) | ||||
| 57.6– 57.5 | 35.8– 35.7 | 58 |   PR-1 / PR-712 – Albergue Olímpico | Access via PR-1 / PR-712 | ||
| Palmas–Lapa line | 49.2 | 30.6 | — | Rest Area | Northbound exit has access to PR-714. | |
| Cayey | Monte Llano | 38.8 | 24.1 | 39 |   To PR-1 – Cayey, Aibonito, Cidra | Access to Centro Médico Menonita de Cayey |
| Beatriz | 32.2 | 20.0 | 32 |   PR-184 to PR-1 – Cidra, Guavate, Cayey Este | This exit is just a few feet away from the border of Cidra and Cayey | |
| Caguas | Turabo | 23.5 | 14.6 | Caguas Sur Toll Plaza (toll southbound only) | ||
| 23.1 | 14.4 | 23 | To PR-1 – Caguas Sur, Borinquen | |||
| Turabo–Cañaboncito line | 21.4 | 13.3 | 21 |  PR-172 (Avenida Pino) – Caguas Sur, Cidra, Certenejas | The direct exit to Menonita Caguas Regional Hospital and Plaza del Carmen Mall | |
| Cañaboncito | 20.5– 20.4 | 12.7– 12.7 | 20 | Avenida Federico Degetau (PR-34) | Unsigned | |
| Caguas barrio-pueblo | 19.3 | 12.0 | 19 |  PR-156 – Aguas Buenas, Caguas | ||
| Bairoa | 18.4 | 11.4 | 18 |  PR-196 (Avenida José Garrido) – Bairoa, Valle Tolima | The direct exit to Las Catalinas Mall. | |
| 16.1 | 10.0 | 15B |   PR-1 south / PR-30 east (Expreso Cruz Ortiz Stella) – Caguas, Humacao, Gurabo | The exit from the southbound direction signed as Exit 14. | ||
| 15.8 | 9.8 | 15A |  PR-1 north – San Juan, Guaynabo, Río Cañas | The exit from the southbound direction signed as Exit 15. | ||
| 15.5 | 9.6 | 15 | PR-1 north – San Juan, Guaynabo, Río Cañas | The exits from the northbound direction signed as 15A (North) and 15B (South). | ||
| Río Cañas | 14.3– 14.2 | 8.9– 8.8 | Caguas Norte Toll Plaza (toll northbound only) | |||
| 14.2 | 8.8 | 14 |  PR-1 south / PR-30 east (Expreso Cruz Ortiz Stella) – Caguas, Humacao | Southbound exit | ||
| Trujillo Alto | No major intersections | |||||
| San Juan | Caimito | 4.1 | 2.5 | 4 | Avenida Montehiedra / Camino Los Romero – Caimito | Toll on northbound on-ramp; signed as exits 4A and 4B southbound |
| Monacillo | 2.4 | 1.5 | 2 |  PR-199 (Avenida Doña Felisa Rincón de Gautier) – Guaynabo, Trujillo Alto, Cupey | ||
| Monacillo Urbano | 0.9– 0.8 | 0.56– 0.50 | 1 |  PR-177 (Avenida Lomas Verdes) – Guaynabo, Bayamón, Cupey | Southbound exits signed as 1A (west) and 1B (east) | |
| 0.3 | 0.19 | 0B | PR-1 north – Carolina, Río Piedras, Trujillo Alto | No northbound access to PR-1 south. | ||
| 0.0 | 0.0 | 0A |  PR-18 north (PRI-1 / Expreso Las Américas) – San Juan, Bayamón, Hato Rey | Northern terminus of PR-52; PRI-1 continues northbound via PR-18. Access to Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport and hospitals. | ||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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See also
References
- ^ a b Google (28 February 2020). "PR-52" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
- ^ Historia. Departamento de Transportacion y Obras Publicas de Puerto Rico. Archived on 16 February 2009. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
- ^ Puerto Rico Department of Transportation and Public Works. "Datos de Transito 2000-2009" (in Spanish). Archived from the original on April 1, 2019. Retrieved 23 April 2019.
- ^ Guía de Carreteras Principales, Expresos y Autopistas. (In Spanish) Puerto Rico Autoridad de Carreteras y Transportación (ACT).
- ^ Ian James. "Former Puerto Rican Gov. Luis A Ferre dies." The Miami Herald. 22 October. 2003
- ^ Historia de las Carreteras de Puerto Rico. Primera Hora. 13 March 2006.
- ^ a b c "Historia". Government of Puerto Rico. Highway and Transportation Authority. Archived from the original on 16 February 2009. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
- ^ Legends of Puerto Rico Archived 2010-09-28 at the Wayback Machine
External links
Media related to Puerto Rico Highway 52 at Wikimedia Commons
