The Autopista A1, also known as ''Autopista Nacional'', is a

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 ...

motorway 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 ...

, partly built, that will link

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.Guantánamo Guantánamo (, , ) is a municipality and city in southeast Cuba and capital of Guantánamo Province. Guantánamo is served by the Caimanera port near the site of a U.S. naval base. The area produces sugarcane and cotton wool. These are traditi ...

.Source: ''Mapa de Carreteras de Cuba'' (Road map of Cuba). Ediciones GEO,

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.toll-free road and its total length will be of about . Along with the Autopista A4, linking Havana to

Pinar del Río Pinar del Río is the capital city of Pinar del Río Province, Cuba. With a population of 191,081 (2022), it is the List of cities in Cuba, 10th-largest city in Cuba. Inhabitants of the area are called ''Pinareños''. History Pinar del Río was ...

, it is classified as part of the whole ''Autopista Nacional'' route, spanning the length of the island; as the Carretera Central highway.

History

The motorway, connected to the A4 via the Havana Ringroad (A2), was opened in 1979 from Havana to Santa Clara. Additional sections (2 in the Oriental region) were opened during the 1980s, but further work was interrupted in 1990 as the economic crisis of the "

Special Period The Special Period (), officially the Special Period in the Time of Peace (), was an extended period of economic crisis in Cuba that began in 1991 primarily due to the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the Comecon. The economic depression o ...

" () developed.

Route

The A1, the longest motorway on the island, is a dual carriageway with 6

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 (8 from Havana to

San José de las Lajas San José de las Lajas is a municipality and the capital city of the newly formed Mayabeque Province of Cuba, after the segmentation of La Habana Province in 2011. It is located in the center north of the province, and is bisected by the Carrete ...

), and has some at-grade intersections with rural roads. The operating sections areSatellite images of Cuba
at

Google Maps Google Maps is a web mapping platform and consumer application offered by Google. It offers satellite imagery, aerial photography, street maps, 360° interactive panorama, interactive panoramic views of streets (Google Street View, Street View ...

the

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.Santa Clara-

Sancti Spíritus Sancti Spíritus () is a municipality and capital city of the province of Sancti Spíritus in central Cuba and one of the oldest Cuban European settlements. Sancti Spíritus is the genitive case of Latin ''Sanctus Spiritus'' ("Holy Spirit"). ...

- Taguasco (354 km, main section),

Palma Soriano Palma Soriano is a Cuban city and municipality in the Santiago de Cuba Province. With a population of 119,740 in the city proper, it is the second-largest in the province and List of cities in Cuba, the 16th-largest in Cuba. History The city was ...

Santiago de Cuba Santiago de Cuba is the second-largest city in Cuba and the capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province. It lies in the southeastern area of the island, some southeast of the Cuban capital of Havana. The municipality extends over , and contains t ...

(53 km) and

La Maya La Maya is a municipality located in the province of Salamanca, Castile and León Castile and León is an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in northwestern Spain. Castile and León is the largest autonomous community in Spa ...

Guantánamo Guantánamo (, , ) is a municipality and city in southeast Cuba and capital of Guantánamo Province. Guantánamo is served by the Caimanera port near the site of a U.S. naval base. The area produces sugarcane and cotton wool. These are traditi ...

(41 km, sharing the Carretera Central route for 9 km). From the exit "Santa Clara-

Manicaragua Manicaragua () is a municipality and mountain town in the Villa Clara Province of Cuba. It is located in the Escambray Mountains at the southern part of Villa Clara, bordering the provinces of Cienfuegos Province, Cienfuegos to the west and Sanct ...

" to Taguasco, the A1 operates with a

single carriageway A single carriageway (British English) is a road with one, two or more lanes arranged within a one carriageway with no central reservation, central reservation/median strip to separate opposing flows of traffic. A single-track road is a type of ...

, and from Taguasco to Jatibonico, it is under construction. Other sections under construction, both in

Santiago de Cuba Province Santiago de Cuba Province is the second most populated province in the island of Cuba. The largest city Santiago de Cuba is the main administrative center. Other large cities include Palma Soriano, Contramaestre, Cuba, Contramaestre, San Luis, Sa ...

, are the one from

Contramaestre Contramaestre (Spanish for "boatswain") is a Cuban town and municipality in the Santiago de Cuba Province. Geography The municipality is located in the western part of the province, neighboring the provinces of Granma and Holguín; and borders wi ...

to Palma Soriano, and the one from La Maya to the Palma-Santiago section, ending with the construction of a future interchange. The other section, passing through the provinces of

Ciego de Ávila Ciego de Ávila () is a city in the central part of Cuba and the capital of Ciego de Ávila Province. The capital city has a population of about 156,322 and the province 430,507. Geography Ciego de Ávila lies on the Carretera Central highway a ...

Camagüey Camagüey () is a city and municipality in central Cuba and is the nation's third-largest city with more than 333,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of the Camagüey Province. It was founded as Santa María del Puerto del Príncipe in 1514, by Sp ...

, Las Tunas,

Holguín Holguín (, ) is a municipality-city in Cuba. After Havana, Santiago de Cuba, and Camagüey, it is the List of cities in Cuba, fourth largest city in Cuba. History Before Christopher Columbus, Columbus, the Taino people settled in huts made fro ...

and Granma, has been planned.

References

External links

{{Highways in Cuba A1 Transport in Havana Mayabeque Province Matanzas Province Cienfuegos Province Villa Clara Province Sancti Spíritus Province Ciego de Ávila Province Camagüey Province Las Tunas Province Holguín Province Granma Province Santiago de Cuba Province Guantánamo Province

History

Route

See also

References

External links