Transportation in Puerto Rico

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Transportation in Puerto Rico is comprised of a system of roads, highways,freeways, airports, ports and harbors, and railway systems, serving a population of approximately 4 million inhabitants year-round. It is funded primarily with both local and federal government funds.

1 Railroad Systems
- 1.1 Current Systems
- 1.2 Defunct Systems
2 Roads and Highways
3 Ports and Harbors
- 3.1 Major Ports
- 3.2 Minor Ports and Harbors
4 Airports
- 4.1 Airlines Based in Puerto Rico
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] Railroad Systems

Tren Urbano at Bayamón Station.

19th century train station in Yauco.

The abandoned San Juan Railroad Terminal.

Main article: Rail transport in Puerto Rico

[edit] Current Systems

Tren Urbano - provides passenger train service between various points of the metropolitan area of Puerto Rico, mainly between Bayamon and several important sections of San Juan. Plans are on the way to expand the system in the future.

Port of Ponce Railroad - is a very small and short railroad system located in Ponce mainly to assist in loading and unloading cargo ships. It is very rarely seen in operations, although this may change in the future (see Major Ports below).

Tourism Railroads - Several locomotives are used for tourism and recreational services, such as El Parque del Tren in Bayamón (currently demolished but with plans for restoration) and the Arroyo Train in Arroyo.

[edit] Defunct Systems

The Puerto Rico train system flourished during the late 19th and early 20th century due to a large sugar cane industry in the island. During the 1870s and 1890s, Puerto Rico did not have a national railroad system, but the city of Mayagüez did have a small passenger rail system for transporting its residents mainly along the Mendez Vigo Avenue. The main system can be traced back to 1891, when the northern line was built between San Juan (Martín Peña sector) and the town of Manatí. The system was expanded to include all the western coastal towns, providing a link which would allow passengers to travel between the northern and southern parts of the island in less than a day for the first time in its history. Before its downfall, the Puerto Rico railroad system operated in all major cities, with tracks and stations along most of the coastal towns and direct lines to all major sugar refineries.

However, when Puerto Rico changed its mostly agricultural economy to an industrialized one, and the U.S. and Puerto Rican governments started investing heavily in interstate highways and freeways, the railroad business soon collapsed. Passenger travel ceased in 1953, while the commercial train system (mostly for the sugar cane industry) continued operating until 1957.

[edit] Roads and Highways

Main articles: List of Puerto Rico Highways and Autopistas de Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico Interstates

Puerto Rico has an extensive system of roads, highways, and expressways, totaling more than 8,950 miles (14,400 km, 1999 est.) of paved road. Some of the major roads, highways, and freeways are:

PR-1 - Original main road between San Juan and Ponce before the completion of PR-52. It is now mostly used by people living nearby and as a scenic route.

PR-2 - Main freeway/highway/avenue between Ponce, Mayagüez, Aguadilla, and Arecibo. Original main road between Arecibo and San Juan before completion of PR-22 (currently undergoing a conversion to a freeway between Ponce and Mayagüez).

PR-3 - (65th Infantry Avenue) Original main road/avenue between Salinas, Guayama, Humacao, Fajardo and San Juan (before completion of PR-52, PR-53, PR-66, and PR-26).

PR-10 - Main highway between Ponce, Adjuntas, Utuado and Arecibo (currently under construction: sections from Ponce to Adjuntas and Utuado to Arecibo are complete and open; while section between Adjuntas and Utuado under construction, with detour through PR-123).

PR-22 - Main freeway between San Juan and Arecibo (plans are under way to extend freeway to Aguadilla).

PR-52 (Las Américas Expressway and/or Luis A. Ferré Expressway) - Main freeway between San Juan and Ponce.

PR-53 - Main freeway between Salinas, Guayama, Yabucoa, Humacao and Fajardo (currently under construction: section between Salinas and Guayama and Humacao to Fajardo are complete and open; while section between Guayama, Yabucoa and Humacao are currently under construction).

PR-66 - Main freeway between Canóvanas, Carolina, and San Juan (plans are under way to extend freeway to Rio Grande).

[edit] Ports and Harbors

[edit] Major Ports

Part of the San Juan Port in Old San Juan

Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. Part of the Mayagüez Port can be seen in the background.

San Juan Port - mainly divided in three: one in Old San Juan which includes cargo/freight and cruise ships, the Pan American Port Terminal in Isla Grande section mostly for cruise ships, and Puerto Nuevo, exclusively for freight/cargo ships. It is the main port of the island.

Port of Ponce - the second largest port in Puerto Rico and can handle both freight/cargo and cruise ships. It is currently undergoing a significant expansion, with plans to convert it to an international shipping hub.

Mayagüez Port - the third largest port in Puerto Rico. It is mainly used for freight/cargo ships but is also home to the Dominican Republic-Puerto Rico passenger ferry.

[edit] Minor Ports and Harbors

The following are minor ports and harbors used for small freight/cargo ships, fishing vessels, and private boats/yachts: Guánica, Guayanilla, Guayama, Fajardo, Culebra, and Vieques.

There are ferrys between Fajardo, Culebra and Vieques; between San Juan and Cataño; and between Ponce and Caja de Muertos (Coffin Island).

There are several private marinas in Puerto Rico for boats and yachts, the largest being Puerto del Rey in Fajardo and Club Nautico de Ponce in Ponce.

[edit] Airports

Main article: List of airports in Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico has a total of 30 airports around the island, including one in each of the smaller inhabited islands (Vieques and Culebra). The main airport is Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport, and consists of two runways and three concourses. It is by far the busiest airport in Puerto Rico, with direct connections to most major cities in the eastern part of the United States, in Latin America, the Caribbean and a direct connection to Madrid, Spain.

Puerto Rico's next largest airports are usually former U.S. Air Force bases converted to public airports. Most of the airports in Puerto Rico are used exclusively for private planes and for limited passenger travel to local destinations within Puerto Rico and the Caribbean.

Puerto Rico has 21 airports with paved runways, of which:
- 3 airports with more than 10,000 ft (3,048 m) of runway.
- 3 airports with runways ranging between 5,000 ft and 8,000 ft (1,524 to 2,438 m).
- 15 airports with less than 5,000 ft (1,524 m) of runway.
Puerto Rico also has 9 airports with unpaved runways, all of which have less than 5,000 ft (1,524 m) of runway.