Vรญa Blanca (I-3[2][3]) is a highway in northern Cuba, connecting the capital city of Havana and the city of Matanzas. A second section extends eastwards from Matanzas to the tourist town of Varadero and to Cรกrdenas. Even if it is a motorway (autopista), it is part of the national highway named "Circuito Norte" (CN).
| Vรญa Blanca | |
|---|---|
| White Road | |
Map of the Cuban motorway network | |
Bacunayagua Bridge (Puente de Bacunayagua) | |
| Route information | |
| Length | 150ย kmย (93ย mi) 136 km (motorway) |
| Existed | 1960[1]โpresent |
| Major junctions | |
| Westย end | Havana |
| Eastย end | Cรกrdenas |
| Location | |
| Country | Cuba |
| Major cities | Havana, Santa Cruz del Norte, Matanzas, Varadero, Cรกrdenas |
| Highway system | |







History
editThe motorway, connected to the A2 (Havana Ring Road), was opened in 1960. Its construction begun in 1945 with the bridge of Bacunayagua,[4] on the Mayabeque/Matanzas province border. This is the highest Cuban bridge and was completed in 1960.
Route
editOverview
editIt is mostly a four lane highway, with some divided sections. It runs east-west for 85ย km between Havana and Matanzas, crossing the town of Santa Cruz del Norte, and an additional 53ย km east to Varadero, at the northern tip of Peninsula de Hicacos (the section between Matanzas and Varadero is a toll road). Most of the highway runs along the Straits of Florida shoreline. This is one of the busiest highways in Cuba, as it joins the two tourist destinations of Havana and Varadero.
Description
editVรญa Blanca starts at the Ciudad Deportiva, on the south-western side of Havana, between Cerro and Diez de Octubre. It runs for 12ย km through Luyanรณ and Old Havana border, the harbour area, Regla and Guanabacoa, before crossing the Vรญa Monumental in Habana del Este. A brief section in Luyanรณ includes the route of the Carretera Central highway.
The motorway-type section (138 kilometres (86ย mi)) starts in Havana, on a roundabout (Rotonda de Cojรญmar) before the Monumental, and ends north of Cรกrdenas. In Matanzas city center it crosses the seafront. It is a dual carriageway road, with four lanes 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 Vรญa Blanca:
| AUTOPISTA "VรA BLANCA" | |||||
| Exit | โkmโ | Province | Note | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ย Habana Redonda Cojรญmar | 0.0 | Havana | ย | ||
| ย ย A2 (Nacional) โ Tรบnel | 1.2 | Havana | Interchange; Via Blanca eastbound exit only to A2 southbound; signed as "heavy equipment over 3500 kg" on eastbound exit | ||
| ย Habana Alamar | 3.3 | Havana | ย | ||
| ย Habana Bacuranao-Celimar | 7.0 | Havana | ย | ||
| ย Habana Tararรก | 10.7 | Havana | ย | ||
| ย Habana Mรฉgano | 11.6 | Havana | ย | ||
| ย Habana Santa Marรญa del Mar | 12.4 | Havana | ย | ||
| ย ย Rest area "Guanabo" | 16.9 | Mayabeque | ย | ||
| ย ย Habana Guanabo | 17.0 | Havana | ย | ||
| ย Rest area | 18.0 | Havana | ย | ||
| ย Habana Peรฑas Altas-Veneciana (to Guanabo East) |
19.6 | Havana | ย | ||
| ย Habana Brisas del Mar | 20.5 | Havana | ย | ||
| ย Playa del Muerto (Boca de Jaruco Oil Field) |
26.2 | Mayabeque | ย | ||
| ย Boca de Jaruco | 31.4 | Mayabeque | ย | ||
| ย Termoelรฉctrica de Santa Cruz (restricted access - employees only) |
39.2 | Mayabeque | ย | ||
| ย ย Santa Cruz del Norte | 41.5 | Mayabeque | ย | ||
| ย ย Rest area "Servicentro Vรญa Blanca" | 42.7 | Mayabeque | ย | ||
| ย ย Santa Cruz del Norte-Jaruco (Camilo Cienfuegos - to San Josรฉ de las Lajas) |
42.8 | Mayabeque | ย | ||
| ย El Fraile | 47.5 | Mayabeque | ย | ||
| ย ย Playa Jibacoa | 50.3 | Mayabeque | ย | ||
| ย Concunรญ | 52.5 | Mayabeque | ย | ||
| ย Rest area "Quiosco Guarapiรฑa Gil Alberto" | 56.5 | Mayabeque | ย | ||
| ย ย Arcos de Canasรญ-Puerto Libre (to Playa Jibacoa) |
57.8 | Mayabeque | ย | ||
| ย Batey San Juan | 60.3 | Mayabeque | ย | ||
| ย Puerto Escondido | 64.2 | Mayabeque | ย | ||
| ย Bacunayagua | 66.7 | Mayabeque | ย | ||
| ย ย Mirador de Bacunayagua (overlooking point of Bacunayagua Bridge) |
69.1 | Mayabeque | ย | ||
| ย Puente de Bacunayagua | 69.2 | Mayabeque Matanzas |
ย | ||
| ย Bacunayagua Este | 71.8 | Matanzas[5] | ย | ||
| ย Rincรณn Moderno | 74.9 | Matanzas | ย | ||
| ย Rest area "Restaurante La Criolla" | 77.9 | Matanzas | ย | ||
| ย Valle del Yumurรญ (San Roque - San Valentรญn) |
83.4 | Matanzas | ย | ||
| ย Matanzas Puerto | 87.0 | Matanzas | ย | ||
| ย Matanzas Versalles | 88.2 | Matanzas | ย | ||
| ย Matanzas Centro | 89.1 | Matanzas | ย | ||
| ย Matanzas La Playa | 90.6 | Matanzas | ย | ||
| ย ย Matanzas Calle 129-Cuevas de Bellamar | 91.6 | Matanzas | CC route | ||
| ย ย Matanzas Peรฑas Altas | 93.5 | Matanzas | CC route | ||
| ย Matanzas Reynold Garcรญa | 95.7 | Matanzas | ย | ||
| ย Matanzas Universidad | 97.0 | Matanzas | ย | ||
| ย Canรญmar | 97.8 | Matanzas | ย | ||
| ย Puente de Canรญmar | 98.1 | Matanzas | ย | ||
| ย San Felipe | 98.3 | Matanzas | ย | ||
| ย Escuela Militar Camilo Cienfuegos (restricted access - FAR military school) |
39.2 | Matanzas | ย | ||
| ย El Mamey | 99.5 | Matanzas | ย | ||
| ย ย Carbonera-Aeropuerto J.G.Gรณmez (to Cueva de Saturno) |
106.0 | Matanzas | ย | ||
| ย Boca de Camarioca-Camarioca | 115.0 | Matanzas | ย | ||
| ย Boca de Camarioca | 116.0 | Matanzas | ย | ||
| ย Juliรกn Alemรกn | 118.0 | Matanzas | ย | ||
| ย Toll plaza | 118.5 | Matanzas | ย | ||
| ย Varadero-Playa Caleta | 121.0 | Matanzas | ย | ||
| ย Varadero (ย 18-km beltway to Varadero town center) |
124.0 | Matanzas | ย | ||
| ย Santa Marta | 125.0 | Matanzas | ย | ||
| ย Santa Marta Parque Industrial | 127.0 | Matanzas | ย | ||
| ย Guรกsimas-Humberto รlvarez | 129.0 | Matanzas | ย | ||
| ย Cรกrdenas Cementerio | 135.0 | Matanzas | ย | ||
| ย Cรกrdenas Brisas del Mar (Cรกrdenas City Hospital) |
136.0 | Matanzas | ย | ||
| ย Cรกrdenas Centro | 138.0 | Matanzas | ย | ||
| Vรญa Blanca โ Varadero City Beltway (Autopista Sur) | |||||
| Exit | โkmโ | Province | Note | ||
| ย VaraderoโVรญa Blanca (main route) | 0.0 | Matanzas | ย | ||
| ย Varadero Oeste | 0.5 | Matanzas | ย | ||
| ย Varadero Calle 17-Isla del Sur | 1.0 | Matanzas | ย | ||
| ย Varadero Calle 24 | 1.5 | Matanzas | ย | ||
| ย Varadero Calle 30 | 2.0 | Matanzas | ย | ||
| ย Varadero Calle 36-Terminal de รmnibus | 2.5 | Matanzas | ย | ||
| ย Varadero Parque Central | 3.3 | Matanzas | ย | ||
| ย Varadero Parque Josone | 4.1 | Matanzas | ย | ||
| ย Varadero Avenida Primera | 5.0 | Matanzas | ย | ||
| ย Varadero Calle K | 6.6 | Matanzas | ย | ||
| ย Varadero Golf Club | 8.6 | Matanzas | ย | ||
| ย Varadero Plaza America | 9.2 | Matanzas | ย | ||
| ย Varadero Sol Elite Palmeras | 10.0 | Matanzas | ย | ||
| ย Varadero Bella Vista | 10.6 | Matanzas | ย | ||
| ย Varadero Ocean Vista | 10.9 | Matanzas | ย | ||
| ย Varadero Naviti Beach Club | 11.1 | Matanzas | ย | ||
| ย Varadero Arena Doradas/British Caribe | 12.1 | Matanzas | ย | ||
| ย Varadero Muthu Playa/Turquesa | 12.5 | Matanzas | ย | ||
| ย Varadero Delfinarium | 13.1 | Matanzas | ย | ||
| ย Varadero Camino Miliรกn | 13.6 | Matanzas | ย | ||
| ย Varadero Aguas Azules | 14.0 | Matanzas | ย | ||
| ย Varadero Hicacos | 14.3 | Matanzas | ย | ||
| ย Varadero Varahicacos | 15.6 | Matanzas | ย | ||
| ย Varadero Memories | 16.5 | Matanzas | ย | ||
| ย Varadero Meliรก Penรญnsula | 17.1 | Matanzas | ย | ||
| ย Varadero Meliรก Marina | 18.0 | Matanzas | ย | ||
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Cuban defenses
- ^ Carrodeguas, Norfi. "Las principales autopistas y carreteras de Cuba". NorfiPC (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-07-23.
- ^ Iturralde-Vinent, Manuel A (2011). "Western Cuba Geology and Geomorphology" (PDF). Red Cubana de la Ciencia. Havana, Cuba. p.ย 25.
- ^ Cuban defenses โ Via Blanca (Spanish)
- ^ Note: the village is in Mayabeque Province, the exit in Matanzas' one
External links
edit- Guije.com: Vรญa Blanca on guije.com โ (with photos)








