Carretera Central (Puerto Rico)
The Carretera Central is a north–south central highway in Puerto Rico.
Route description
The highway runs from San Juan, the largest city in Puerto Rico, located on the north coast to Ponce, the second largest, on the south coast, via Caguas, Cayey, Aibonito, Coamo, and Juana Diaz. The highway corridor is now designated as Puerto Rico Highway 14 from Ponce to Cayey and part of Puerto Rico Highway 1 from Cayey to San Juan, although various sections of the original road have since been bypassed by the modern highways.
History
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Functional by 1886, it was the first highway to cross Puerto Rico's east–west mountain range, the Cordillera Central.[1]
In 1886, it was a 134-kilometer (83 mi) route with 13 permanent bridges and 33 "casillas de camineros" (housing for road maintenance technicians).[1]
The Arenas Bridge, constructed in 1894 to bring the Carretera Central across the Rio de la Plata, was the longest bridge constructed in Puerto Rico under Spanish government.[2]
In 1898, during the Spanish-American War, American forces moved from south to north over the Carretara Central. One bridge was demolished by the Spanish to delay the American advance.[1]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Pumarada-O'Neill, Luis F. (July 31, 1994). "National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation: Historic Bridges of Puerto Rico MPS" (PDF). National Park Service.
- ↑ "Historic Places in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands: A Travel Itinerary: Arenas Bridge". National Park Service.
Further reading
- de los Angeles Castro, Maria (1969). La construccion de la carretera central en Puerto Rico (MA thesis in history) (in Spanish). University of Puerto Rico.
- Pumarada-O'Neill, Luis; de los Angeles Castro Arroyo, María (1997). La carretera central: un viaje escenico a la historia de Puerto Rico (in Spanish). Oficina Estatal de Preservación Histórica de Puerto Rico. ISBN 0965001121.
- Military Road
- Bulletin #354. "Forests of Porto Rico: Past, Present and Future, and their Physical and Economic Environments." Louis S. Murphy. 20 October 1916. Page 19. U.S. Dept of Agriculture. Division of Publications. Department Bulletins #351-375. 1917. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
- HISTORIA DE LAS CARRETERAS DE PUERTO RICO:1857-La Carretera Central. Primera Hora. 13 March 2006. Retrieved 11 February 2014.
External links
Media related to Carretera Central (Puerto Rico) at Wikimedia Commons