Avenida Las Américas, is a major thoroughfare in
Ponce, Puerto Rico
Ponce ( , , ) is a city and a Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality on the southern coast of Puerto Rico. The most populated city outside the San Juan, Puerto Rico, San Juan metropolitan area, Ponce was founded on August 12, 1692Some publ ...
. Most of its length is signed as
Puerto Rico Highway 163 (PR-163). The highway has both of its
termini as well as all of its length entirely within the Ponce city limits. It runs west to east. As of 12 November 2010, the segment of this road from its intersection in the west with
PR-2R (a.k.a., Carretera Pámpanos) to its intersection in the east with
PR-12, officially became the ''Bulevar Luis A. Ferré''. The segment from
Avenida Hostos in the east to
Carretera Pámpanos (PR-2R) in the west, the first segment built, was built in 1960.
Route description
The highway is a two-way divided six-lane road that starts at its junction in
Barrio Canas with
PR-500, near
Avenida Baramaya (PR-9), next to Puente San Antonio,
and runs east until it meets
PR-1 at Bulevar Miguel Pou.
Avenida Las Américas runs easterly from PR-500, intersecting with
''Ramal PR-2'' (PR-2R) near
Francisco Montaner Stadium and
Juan Pachín Vicéns Auditorium, and passing
Secretaría de Recreación y Deportes. Continuing east it passes
Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico, and
Museo de Arte de Ponce
Museo de Arte de Ponce (MAP) is an art museum located on Avenida Las Américas in Ponce, Puerto Rico.Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico Tourism Company. Ven al Sur, page 20. San Juan, Puerto Rico, 2003. It houses a collection of Art of Eur ...
, before intersecting with
Avenida Hostos (PR-123). Other points of interest on Avenida Las Américas are the former Puerto Rico Police headquarters for the Ponce Region, the Ponce Governmental Center, and
Hospital Metropolitano Dr. Pila. Continuing east, the road crosses
Rio Portugués and immediately afterwards the road intersects
Avenida Santiago de los Caballeros (PR 12), and takes a northerly turn to intersect with
PR-1 at Bulevar Miguel Pou, about one mile further. Additional businesses along its way are
Café Rico and
Centro del Sur Mall, both at Avenida Las Américas's intersection with
PR-133, also known as Calle Comercio.
The Dr. Pila Hospital on Avenida Las Americas (PR-163) looking NE in Barrio Canas Urbano, Ponce, Puerto Rico (IMG 2739).jpg, Hospital Metropolitano Dr. Pila on the north side of Avenida Las Américas looking northeast, in Barrio Canas Urbano
Arch at the main entrance to the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico in Barrio Canas Urbano, Ponce, Puerto Rico (DSCF0584).jpg, Main entrance to the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico at Avenida Las Américas
Characteristics
Avenida Las Américas is 7.0 kilometers long and ends at the intersection of
Boulevard Miguel Pou (PR-1). Although Avenida Las Américas ends at its intersection with PR-1, physically the roadway continues as a non-divided four-lane road called Avenida
Emilio Fagot to intersect with
PR-14 and, further north, to come to an end at a junction with
PR-10 for access to points in northeast and north Puerto Rico, respectively. The less transited western section of Avenida Las Américas experiences an hourly traffic flow upwards of 2400 vehicles.
On the westernmost end of the road, Puente San Antonio connects Avenida Las Américas with
PR-9, also called Avenida Baramaya.
History
The segment of Avenida Las Américas from
Avenida Hostos in the east to
Carretera Pámpanos (PR-2R) in the west, was the first segment built; it was built in 1960.
In the 1960s, the segment from Carretera Pámpanos in the east to just before
PR-500 in the west was built as part of the urban development of that area in the 1960s. However, Avenida Las Américas came to an abrupt dead end before reaching PR-500. The third segment built was built to connect Avenida Las Américas from
Avenida Hostos (PR-123) in the west to Avenida Julio E. Monagas in the east. This last segment was built in the 1980s. During the same period the road was expanded to the west to connect Avenida Las Américas with PR-500.
See also
*
List of streets in Ponce, Puerto Rico
*
List of highways in Ponce, Puerto Rico
References
External links
Historia de las Carreteras de Puerto Rico.
*
{{Subject bar, auto=y, d=y
Streets in Ponce
1960 establishments in Puerto Rico