Puerto Rico Highway 53

Puerto Rico Highway 53 (PR-53) or unsigned Interstate PR3 is a main tollway that is parallel to Puerto Rico Highway 3, which goes from Fajardo to Salinas.[6] Some segments are still in planning, but when finished it will be about 58 miles (93 km) in length. Two tunnels, about 0.6 mi (1 km) long each, in the towns of Yabucoa and Maunabo were completed in October 2008 (2008-10). It will connect the cities of Fajardo, Ceiba, Naguabo, Humacao, Yabucoa, Maunabo, Patillas, Arroyo, Guayama and Salinas, thus bordering the entire eastern and southeastern coasts of Puerto Rico. Its northern terminus is at PR-3 and PR-194 in Fajardo, and its south terminus is at PR-52 in Salinas.

Highway 53 marker Highway 53 marker

Highway 53

Ruta 53
Autopista Dr. José Celso Barbosa
PR-53 highlighted in red; future segments in yellow
Route information
Maintained by Puerto Rico DTPW
Length94.0 km[1][2][3][4] (58.4 mi)
Existed1988[5]–present
Major junctions
South end PR-52 in Lapa
Major intersections
North end PR-3 in Quebrada Vueltas
Location
CountryUnited States
TerritoryPuerto Rico
MunicipalitiesSalinas, Guayama, Arroyo, Patillas, Maunabo, Yabucoa, Humacao, Naguabo, Ceiba, Fajardo
Highway system
← PR-52→ PR-54

Route description

The highway consists of five toll plazas; these are at Ceiba Norte, Humacao Norte, Humacao Sur[7] (near Palmas del Mar), Guayama and Salinas. All toll plazas have AutoExpreso lanes.

Three phases of the tollway have been completed: the first one was from Salinas to Guayama, which is about 7.5 miles (12.1 km) long (milepost 83 to 95 km), the second from Fajardo to Yabucoa at 28 mi (45 km) (This includes an incomplete bridge in Yabucoa that does not fall into the high-speed highway classification in the interstate system as it is only one lane per direction and will require the addition of an additional bridge or constructing a bridge over the existing bridge, as it lies in a main corn and plantain field.) Recently 1.2 miles (1.9 km), between Yabucoa and Maunabo, includes the last tunnel, Vicente Morales, was opened in October 2008. The total constructed highway at this time is 34 miles (55 km), leaving nearly 25 miles (40 km) to be constructed in Yabucoa (including the other additional tunnel) and from Maunabo to Guayama which is the longest to-be-built segment. The lanes in the Yabucoa segments were divided by painted yellow lines and no-passing zone boards, but a concrete median barrier had to be installed because some cars still passed others going slower, resulting in deadly head-on collisions; illegal night races also had deadly consequences.

  • Southern segments
  • Southwestern terminus of PR-53 in Salinas, connecting with PR-52
    Southwestern terminus of PR-53 in Salinas, connecting with PR-52
  • PR-53 overpass in Pozo Hondo, a barrio in Guayama
    PR-53 overpass in Pozo Hondo, a barrio in Guayama
  • Maunabo Tunnels under construction, 2008
    Maunabo Tunnels under construction, 2008

PR-53 is the tollway with the lowest traffic in Puerto Rico, and very few congestion jams have been reported. PR-53 does not enter highly populated towns (none of them are over 100,000; the largest are Fajardo, Humacao and Guayama) and is not close to increase its traffic due to the fact that most of the population in the east part of Puerto Rico live in the San Juan metro area, Caguas and Cayey, cities where PR-53 makes no appearance; and the main traffic in Humacao is mostly located on the PR-30 and PR-60 highways. The center/business area of Humacao is accessed via PR-30 and PR-60, not by PR-53. Because of this, PR-53 has no more than two lanes per direction in the constructed segments and will probably have no more than two lanes per direction in the entire length.

PR-53 is also prone to flooding in the areas near Naguabo and Fajardo: during heavy rains, it is sometimes closed to traffic. There are current proposals to convert PR-3 from Rio Grande to Fajardo into a freeway to provide a controlled-access route between PR-53's northern terminus and the second phase of PR-66. At the rate of construction, the entire PR-53 corridor might be completed within the next ten years. The first segment of PR-53 was opened in 1994; from Fajardo to Ceiba, in 1994, and from Ceiba to Humacao, in 1997, except between exit 13 and 17 in summer 2002.

  • Eastern segments
  • Eastern terminus of the PR-30 freeway with the PR-53 interchange
    Eastern terminus of the PR-30 freeway with the PR-53 interchange
  • PR-53 in Humacao heading towards El Yunque
    PR-53 in Humacao heading towards El Yunque
  • PR-53 freeway overpass over PR-3 in Humacao at exit 31
    PR-53 freeway overpass over PR-3 in Humacao at exit 31

Tolls
Location Toll Direction AutoExpreso
acceptance		 AutoExpreso
replenishment (R)
lane
Húcar $1.10 Northbound
Guayama $0.55 Two-way
Humacao Sur $1.10 Southbound
Humacao Norte $1.10 Northbound
Ceiba $1.10 Southbound

Exit list
  • PR-53 south at exit 35A to PR-906 west in Humacao
    PR-53 south at exit 35A to PR-906 west in Humacao
MunicipalityLocationkm
[1][2][3][4]		miExitDestinationsNotes
SalinasLapa94.058.4— PR-52 (PRI-1 / Autopista Luis A. Ferré) – Ponce, San JuanSouthern terminus of PR-53; PR-52 exits 60 and 61
93.157.8Húcar Toll Plaza (toll northbound only)
Aguirre90.8–
90.7		56.4–
56.4		90 PR-706 – Aguirre
GuayamaPozo Hondo87.0–
86.9		54.1–
54.0		87 PR-713 – Villodas, Cimarrona
83.551.983 PR-7707 (Carretera Johnny Albino) – Jobos
82.151.0Guayama Toll Plaza
Palmas80.850.2
 PR-54 east (Avenida Pedro Albizu Campos) – Guayama, Arroyo, Patillas		Western terminus of PR-54
Temporary gap in PR-53
ArroyoPalmas0.0[lower-alpha 1]0.0 PR-3 – Arroyo, PatillasAt-grade T junction
PatillasCacao Bajo1.0[lower-alpha 1]0.62 Patillas AirportAt-grade T junction, closed
Pollos3.0[lower-alpha 1]1.9— PR-3 – Patillas, MaunaboIncomplete Diamond interchange. Mainline stub exist for a future extension.[8]
Temporary gap in PR-53
MaunaboEmajagua51.732.1 PR-901 – Yabucoa, MaunaboAt-grade T junction
50.4–
49.8		31.3–
30.9		Túnel Vicente Morales Lebrón
49.530.8 PR-901 – Yabucoa, MaunaboAt-grade T junction
Temporary gap in PR-53
YabucoaCamino Nuevo43.927.3
 PR-9914 to PR-901 – Yabucoa, Maunabo		Currently as At-grade Three-way junction.
Diamond interchange and roundabout under construction for future extension.[9]
Río Guayanés and Río del Ingenio42.9–
40.3		26.7–
25.0		Puente Ramón Luis Cruz Dávila
Playa40.024.939 PR-906 (Avenida Luis M. Castro Díaz) – Yabucoa, PlayaSouth end of 4 lanes Interstate Highway standards to 2 lanes divided freeway.
HumacaoCandelero Abajo–Buena Vista line35.522.135 PR-906 (Avenida Luis M. Castro Díaz) – Palmas del Mar, Candelero AbajoSouthbound exits signed  35A (north) and 35B (south)
Buena Vista34.821.6Humacao Sur Toll Plaza (toll southbound only)
33.821.033
 PR-30 west (Expreso Cruz Ortiz Stella) – Humacao Centro, Humacao Oeste, Caguas, San Juan
Río Abajo31.219.431 PR-3 – Humacao Centro, Punta Santiago, Junquito
Antón Ruíz28.317.6Humacao Norte Toll Plaza (toll northbound only)
25.916.125
 To PR-927 – Antón Ruíz, Mambiche
NaguaboRío Blanco22.213.822 PR-31 – Juncos, Río BlancoSouthbound exit and northbound entrance
Maizales20.8–
20.7		12.9–
12.9		20 PR-970 – Naguabo Oeste, Maizales
Duque18.311.418
 PR-205 to PR-31 – Naguabo Centro
Duque–Mariana line17.110.617 PR-971 – Naguabo Este, DuqueSouthbound exit only
Mariana13.68.513 PR-3 / PR-973 – Playa de Naguabo, Duque, Mariana
CeibaQuebrada Seca10.36.410 PR-3 – Roosevelt Roads, Aguas Claras
Ceiba barrio-pueblo5.9–
5.8		3.7–
3.6		6 PR-978 – Ceiba Sur, Roosevelt Roads
Saco4.93.05 PR-975 – Ceiba Norte, Ceiba Centro
Machos4.12.5Ceiba Toll Plaza (toll southbound only)
FajardoQuebrada Vueltas1.81.12
 To PR-3 – Demajagua, Puerto del Rey		Access to José Aponte de la Torre Airport
0.00.0
 PR-3 (PRI-3) to PR-194 – Fajardo, Carolina		Northern terminus of PR-53. Interstate PR3 continues northwestbound via PR-3 as an At-grade traffic lighted expressway.
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
  1. Kilometer markers in the Arroyo–Patillas segment have not been adjusted to those of the rest of PR-53.

See also

References
  1. Google (28 February 2020). "PR-53 east" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
  2. Google (28 February 2020). "PR-53 southeast" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
  3. Google (28 February 2020). "PR-53 south" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
  4. Google (28 February 2020). "PR-53 southwest" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
  5. Historia. Departamento de Transportacion y Obras Publicas de Puerto Rico. Archived on 16 February 2009. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
  6. Puerto Rico Department of Transportation and Public Works. "Datos de Transito 2000-2009" (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 1 April 2019. Retrieved 23 April 2019.
  7. "Humacao Bridges". National Bridge Inventory Data. US Dept. of Transportation. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
  8. "Google Maps".
  9. "Google Maps".
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