An ''autovÃa'' is one of two classes of major highway in the
Spanish road system similar to a British
motorway or an American
freeway. It is akin to the
autopista, the other major highway class, but has fewer features and is never a
toll road. Some distinguishing features of an ''autovÃa'' are that it must be divided by a median, it must have restricted access, and it cannot be crossed by other roads. While autopistas are generally new routes, ''autovÃas'' are normally improvements to existing roads, so they may have tighter curves and less safe accesses, often with shorter acceleration lanes. However, both have nominal speed limits of .
Rest areas are usually or 2 hours apart. There is usually a safety lane along the median.
Although generally state-owned and financed, there are some ''autovÃas'' which are actually built and maintained by private companies, such as Pamplona-Logroño A-12. The company assumes the building costs and the
Autonomous Community where they are located (in the given example,
Navarre
Navarre (; es, Navarra ; eu, Nafarroa ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre ( es, Comunidad Foral de Navarra, links=no ; eu, Nafarroako Foru Komunitatea, links=no ), is a foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, ...
) pays a yearly per-vehicle fee to the company based upon usage statistics. This fee is called a
shadow toll ( es, peaje en la sombra).
Capital Madrid, March 30, 2007
/ref> The system can be regarded as a way for the Government to finance the construction of new roads without any initial outlay of money. Also, since payment starts after the road is finished, there are fewer construction delays in comparison with regular state-owned construction.
Restricted Access
Most ''autovÃas'' are restricted to car
A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods.
The year 1886 is regarded as ...
, motorcycle, and lorry use only. Restricted forms of transport include the horse, mopeds and tractors. Because ''autovÃas'' often exist as an improvement to an existing road, users of these restricted forms of transport may often find themselves having to take long diversions in order to reach their intended destination. It is very rare that alternative routes will be provided for these users.
Bicycles may travel on the shoulders of some ''autovÃas'', but not autopistas.
List of AutovÃas
* A-1
*A-12 - Pamplona to Logroño
* A-62
*A-73 - Burgos to Aguilar de Campoo
Aguilar de Campoo () is a town and municipality of Spain located in the province of Palencia, autonomous community of Castile and León. It is close to the River Pisuerga. Its 2011 population is 7741.
It is one of the locations of the St. James' ...
* A-231 - AutovÃa del Camino de Santiago
The Camino de Santiago ( la, Peregrinatio Compostellana, "Pilgrimage of Compostela"; gl, O Camiño de Santiago), known in English as the Way of St James, is a network of pilgrims' ways or pilgrimages leading to the shrine of the apostle Saint ...
, León to Burgos
Other uses
''AutovÃa'' was also the name of a 2 car DMU train of the Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México that operated between Ciudad Juárez
Ciudad Juárez ( ; ''Juarez City''. ) is the most populous city in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. It is commonly referred to as Juárez and was known as El Paso del Norte (''The Pass of the North'') until 1888. Juárez is the seat of the Juà ...
and Chihuahua Chihuahua may refer to:
Places
*Chihuahua (state), a Mexican state
**Chihuahua (dog), a breed of dog named after the state
**Chihuahua cheese, a type of cheese originating in the state
**Chihuahua City, the capital city of the state
**Chihuahua Mun ...
, Mexico.
''AutovÃas'' is the name of the first-class service of the Herradura de Plata
Tequila Herradura (officially Grupo Industrial Herradura) is a tequila distiller located in Amatitán, Jalisco, Mexico. It was formally founded in 1870 by
Aurelio López and the business remained in the family for over 125 years. Today it is own ...
Mexican bus company operating in the vicinity of the Mexican state of Michoacán
Michoacán, formally Michoacán de Ocampo (; Purépecha: ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Michoacán de Ocampo ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Michoacán de Ocampo), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of ...
.
See also
* Autopista
*Controlled-access highway
A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms i ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Autovia
Controlled-access highways
Road transport in Spain
Types of roads
es:AutovÃa