Puerto Rico Highway 3 (PR-3) at nearly 100 miles long,
is the second longest highway on
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...
(after
PR-2
Puerto Rico Highway 2 (PR-2) is a road in Puerto Rico that connects the cities of San Juan and Ponce. At 156 miles (230 km) long, it is Puerto Rico's longest singled-signed highway.
The road runs counter-clockwise from San Juan to Ponce. ...
). It connects the
San Juan neighborhood of
Río Piedras
Rio or Río is the Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and Maltese word for "river". When spoken on its own, the word often means Rio de Janeiro, a major city in Brazil.
Rio or Río may also refer to:
Geography Brazil
* Rio de Janeiro
* Rio do Sul, a ...
to downtown
Salinas indirectly around the eastern coast of the island.
Highway 3 ranges from a three lane urban avenue in San Juan to a one lane rural road past Fajardo. While other roads connect San Juan, it runs the coastline of Puerto Rico east of
San Juan, beginning in
Río Piedras
Rio or Río is the Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and Maltese word for "river". When spoken on its own, the word often means Rio de Janeiro, a major city in Brazil.
Rio or Río may also refer to:
Geography Brazil
* Rio de Janeiro
* Rio do Sul, a ...
near
Santurce (where it is known as the ''Avenida 65 de Infantería'') and goes to
Fajardo
Fajardo (, ) is a town and municipality -Fajardo Combined Statistical Area.
Fajardo is the hub of much of the recreational boating in Puerto Rico and a popular launching port to Culebra, Vieques, and the U.S. and British Virgin Islands. It is ...
where it goes south paralleling the coastline to
Humacao
Humacao () is a city and municipality in Puerto Rico located in the eastern coast of the island, north of Yabucoa; south of Naguabo; east of Las Piedras; and west of Vieques Passage. Humacao is spread over 12 barrios and Humacao Pueblo (the ...
and
Maunabo. It goes up to a mountain-scenic route and goes west to Salinas, where it meets PR-1.
Route description
San Juan to Río Grande
PR-3 begins at an intersection with
PR-1
Puerto Rico Highway 1 (PR-1) is a highway in Puerto Rico that connects the city of Ponce to San Juan. Leaving Ponce, the road heads east and follows a somewhat parallel route along the southern coast of the island heading towards Salinas. At S ...
in
San Juan as the three lane
65th Infantry Regiment
The 65th Infantry Regiment, nicknamed "The Borinqueneers" during the Korean War for the original Taíno Indian name for Puerto Rico (Borinquen), is a Puerto Rican regiment of the United States Army. The regiment's motto is ''Honor et Fidelita ...
Avenue. Heading east through San Juan, Highway 3 functions as an urban boulevard with both at-grade and grade-separated intersections becoming decidedly suburban in character past the
PR-26/66 overpass near downtown
Carolina. Recently, PR-66 was opened and it has controlled the high traffic on PR-3.
Exit for Río Piedras, Puerto Rico Highway 3 West.jpg, Exit for Río Piedras, Puerto Rico Highway 3 West
Puerto Rico Highway 3 and Puerto Rico Highway 188.jpg, Puerto Rico Highway 3 and Puerto Rico Highway 188
Río Grande to Fajardo
![PR 3 Luquillo](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3d/PR_3_Luquillo.jpg)
It is a divided highway to Fajardo, and the only main highway connecting Fajardo to
Río Grande
The Rio Grande ( and ), known in Mexico as the Río Bravo del Norte or simply the Río Bravo, is one of the principal rivers (along with the Colorado River) in the southwestern United States and in northern Mexico.
The length of the Rio G ...
. In Fajardo, PR-53 begins and PR-3 becomes a one-lane per direction rural road, and keeps that way for the rest of its length, though there are some minor divided segments in Humacao near Junquito, a very small segment near Patagonia (close to its intersection with
PR-30) and another segment in Arroyo and Guayama for about nearly 10 kilometers.
Municipalities served
The following are the municipalities through which PR-3 passes:
*
San Juan
*
Carolina
*
Canóvanas
*
Loíza
*
Río Grande
The Rio Grande ( and ), known in Mexico as the Río Bravo del Norte or simply the Río Bravo, is one of the principal rivers (along with the Colorado River) in the southwestern United States and in northern Mexico.
The length of the Rio G ...
*
Luquillo
Luquillo () is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the northeast coast, northwest of Fajardo; and east of Rio Grande. Luquillo is spread over 5 barrios and Luquillo Pueblo (the downtown area and the administrative center of the ci ...
*
Fajardo
Fajardo (, ) is a town and municipality -Fajardo Combined Statistical Area.
Fajardo is the hub of much of the recreational boating in Puerto Rico and a popular launching port to Culebra, Vieques, and the U.S. and British Virgin Islands. It is ...
*
Ceiba
''Ceiba'' is a genus of trees in the family Malvaceae, native to tropical and subtropical areas of the Americas (from Mexico and the Caribbean to N Argentina) and tropical West Africa. Some species can grow to tall or more, with a straight, la ...
*
Naguabo
*
Humacao
Humacao () is a city and municipality in Puerto Rico located in the eastern coast of the island, north of Yabucoa; south of Naguabo; east of Las Piedras; and west of Vieques Passage. Humacao is spread over 12 barrios and Humacao Pueblo (the ...
*
Yabucoa
Yabucoa () is a town and municipality in Puerto Rico located in the eastern region, north of Maunabo; south of San Lorenzo, Las Piedras and Humacao; and east of Patillas. Yabucoa is spread over 9 barrios and Yabucoa Pueblo (the downtown area ...
*
Maunabo
*
Patillas
*
Arroyo
Arroyo often refers to:
* Arroyo (creek), an intermittently dry creek
Arroyo may also refer to:
People
* Arroyo (surname)
Places United States
;California
* Arroyo Burro Beach, a public beach park in Santa Barbara County, California
* Arroyo ...
*
Guayama
Guayama (, ), officially the Autonomous Municipality of Guayama ( es, Municipio Autónomo de Guayama) is a city and municipality on the Caribbean coast of Puerto Rico. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 36,614. It is the c ...
*
Salinas
Loíza is the only coastal municipality not served by PR-3 in its length through the east shore until its intersection with PR-1 in Salinas. PR-188 serves as the main artery from the highway to Loíza. The remaining coasts of Puerto Rico (west of San Juan and west of Salinas) are served by PR-1 (West Salinas, Santa Isabel, Juana Díaz and East Ponce) and PR-2 (the rest of the coastline though some municipalities are not directly served). In Maunabo and south Yabucoa, PR-3 is not the main "at-grade" artery since it goes up in the mountains. PR-901 is the main at grade road in this segment of about 10 kilometers.
PR-3 Humacao.jpg, PR-3 in Humacao
Humacao () is a city and municipality in Puerto Rico located in the eastern coast of the island, north of Yabucoa; south of Naguabo; east of Las Piedras; and west of Vieques Passage. Humacao is spread over 12 barrios and Humacao Pueblo (the ...
close to PR-53 (bridge)
PR-3 Patillas.jpg, PR-3 as a rural road in Patillas, several hundred feet above the sea
PR-3 Arroyo.jpg, PR-3 in Arroyo
Arroyo often refers to:
* Arroyo (creek), an intermittently dry creek
Arroyo may also refer to:
People
* Arroyo (surname)
Places United States
;California
* Arroyo Burro Beach, a public beach park in Santa Barbara County, California
* Arroyo ...
near Guayama
Guayama (, ), officially the Autonomous Municipality of Guayama ( es, Municipio Autónomo de Guayama) is a city and municipality on the Caribbean coast of Puerto Rico. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 36,614. It is the c ...
Puerto Rico Highway 53
Just like PR-22 parallels PR-2 and PR-52 parallels PR-1, PR-53 is the toll highway which parallels PR-3 and they have several exit intersections. Yet, PR-53 has not been completed and PR-3 serves as the main road in the southeastern part of Puerto Rico going from Yabucoa to Guayama, though
PR-901 serves as a primary road (because it is shorter through it) between Yabucoa and Maunabo.
Major intersections
Related route
Puerto Rico Highway 3R ( es, Carretera Ramal 3, abbreviated Ramal PR-3 or PR-3R) is a
bypass near downtown
Humacao, Puerto Rico
Humacao () is a city and municipality in Puerto Rico located in the eastern coast of the island, north of Yabucoa; south of Naguabo; east of Las Piedras; and west of Vieques Passage. Humacao is spread over 12 barrios and Humacao Pueblo (the ...
. This road is part of Nicanor Vázquez Boulevard.
See also
*
Interstate Highways in Puerto Rico
The highway system in Puerto Rico is composed of approximately of roads in Puerto Rico, maintained by the Puerto Rico Department of Transportation and Public Works (Spanish: ''Departmento de Transportación y Obras Públicas'') or DTOP. The hig ...
*
List of highways numbered 3
The following highways are numbered 3, H-3, PRI-3, AH3, E03 and R3. For roads numbered A3, see A3 roads. For roads numbered M3, see M3. For roads numbered N3, see N3. For roads numbered 3A, see 3A.
International
* Asian Highway 3
* Europe ...
References
External links
Bajo el puente Julia de Burgos
{{Interstates
003 003, O03, 0O3, OO3 may refer to:
*003, fictional British 00 Agent
*003, former emergency telephone number for the Norwegian ambulance service (until 1986)
*1990 OO3, the asteroid 6131 Towen
* OO3 gauge model railway
*''O03 (O2)'' and other related ...
3