Vía Blanca (I-3) is a highway in northern

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

, connecting the capital city of

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Matanzas Matanzas (Cuban ; ) is the capital of the Cuban province of Matanzas Province, Matanzas. Known for its poets, culture, and Afro-American religions, Afro-Cuban folklore, it is located on the northern shore of the island of Cuba, on the Bay of Mat ...

. A second section extends eastwards from Matanzas to the tourist town of

Varadero Varadero (), also referred to as ''Playa Azul'' (Blue Beach), is a resort town in the province of Matanzas, Cuba, and one of the largest resort areas in the Caribbean. Varadero Beach is rated one of the world's best beaches in TripAdvisor's Travel ...

and to Cárdenas. Even if it is a motorway (''autopista''), it is part of the national highway named "

Circuito Norte The ''Circuito Norte'' (CN), meaning "Northern Circuit", is a west-east highway spanning the length of the island of Cuba, through the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic Coast. With a length of 1,222 km, it is the second-longest Cuban highway, afte ...

" (CN).

History

The motorway, connected to the A2 (Havana Ring Road), was opened in 1960. Its construction begun in 1945 with the bridge of

Bacunayagua Bacunayagua is a Cuban village and ''consejo popular'' ("people's council", i.e. voting district) of the municipality of Santa Cruz del Norte, in Mayabeque Province. In 2011 it had a population of 3,371. Geography The small northern Cuban settlem ...

,Cuban defenses
– Via Blanca (Spanish) on the Mayabeque/

Matanzas Matanzas (Cuban ; ) is the capital of the Cuban province of Matanzas Province, Matanzas. Known for its poets, culture, and Afro-American religions, Afro-Cuban folklore, it is located on the northern shore of the island of Cuba, on the Bay of Mat ...

province border. This is the highest Cuban bridge and was completed in 1960.

Route

Overview

It is mostly a four lane

highway A highway is any public or private road or other public way on land. It includes not just major roads, but also other public roads and rights of way. In the United States, it is also used as an equivalent term to controlled-access highway, or ...

, with some divided sections. It runs east-west for 85 km between Havana and Matanzas, crossing the town of

Santa Cruz del Norte Santa Cruz del Norte is a town and municipality in the Mayabeque Province of Cuba. Before 2011 it was part of La Habana Province. It is located on the north shore, between the cities of Havana and Matanzas, at the mouth of the Santa Cruz River. ...

, and an additional 53 km east to Varadero, at the northern tip of ''Peninsula de Hicacos'' (the section between Matanzas and Varadero is a

toll road A toll road, also known as a turnpike or tollway, is a public or private road for which a fee (or ''Toll (fee), toll'') is assessed for passage. It is a form of road pricing typically implemented to help recoup the costs of road construction and ...

). Most of the highway runs along the

Straits of Florida The Straits of Florida, Florida Straits, or Florida Strait () is a strait located south-southeast of the North American mainland, generally accepted to be between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean, and between the Florida Keys (U.S.) an ...

shoreline. This is one of the busiest highways in Cuba, as it joins the two tourist destinations of

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Varadero Varadero (), also referred to as ''Playa Azul'' (Blue Beach), is a resort town in the province of Matanzas, Cuba, and one of the largest resort areas in the Caribbean. Varadero Beach is rated one of the world's best beaches in TripAdvisor's Travel ...

Description

Vía Blanca starts at the ''Ciudad Deportiva'', on the south-western side of Havana, between Cerro and

Diez de Octubre Diez de Octubre is one of the 15 municipalities or boroughs (''municipios'' in Spanish) in the city of Havana, Cuba. Overview It is one of the oldest municipalities of the capital. Its foundation dates from the second half of the 16th Century aim ...

. It runs for 12 km through

Luyanó Luyanó is a ''consejo popular'' (i.e. "popular council or ward") and a Section of populated place within the municipality of Diez de Octubre, Havana, Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of ...

and

Old Havana Old Havana () is the city-center (downtown) and one of the 15 municipalities (or boroughs) forming Havana, Cuba. It has the second highest population density in the city and contains the core of the original city of Havana. The positions of the ...

border, the harbour area,

Regla Regla () is one of the 15 municipalities or boroughs (''municipios'' in Spanish) in the city of Havana, Cuba. It comprises the town of Regla, located at the bottom of Havana Bay in a former aborigine settlement named ''Guaicanamar'', Loma Modelo ...

and

Guanabacoa Guanabacoa is a colonial township in eastern Havana, Cuba, and one of the 15 municipalities (or boroughs) of the city. It is famous for its historical Santería and is home to the first Afro-Cubans, African Cabildo (Cuba), Cabildo in Havana. Guanab ...

, before crossing the ''Vía Monumental'' in

Habana del Este Habana del Este (Spanish for "East Havana"), also spelled ''La Habana del Este'', is one of the 15 municipalities or boroughs (''municipios'' in Spanish) forming the city of Havana, Cuba. Geography As its name indicates it is on the eastern side ...

. A brief section in Luyanó includes the route of the Carretera Central highway. The motorway-type section () starts in Havana, on a

roundabout A roundabout, a rotary and a traffic circle are types of circular intersection or junction in which road traffic is permitted to flow in one direction around a central island, and priority is typically given to traffic already in the junct ...

(''Rotonda de Cojímar'') before the ''Monumental'', and ends north of Cárdenas. In

city center it crosses the seafront. It is a dual carriageway road, with four

lane In road transport, a lane is part of a roadway that is designated to be used by a single line of vehicles to control and guide drivers and reduce traffic conflicts. Most public roads (highways) have at least two lanes, one for traffic in eac ...

s for almost the entire route, but there are six lanes for a short section in east Havana. It has some at-grade intersections with rural roads. The exit at Varadero is the starting point of an 18-km long beltway, named ''Autopista Sur'' ("South Motorway"), that runs through the town. The table below shows the exits of the motorway-type section of the Vía Blanca:

References

External links