Road to Cayo Santa María

The Road to Cayo Santa María is a road that was planned to go from the Abel Santamaría Airport to Cayo Santa María in order to get tourist from the airport to the hotels faster and safer. The road currently has two parts and is under construction. The first section is commonly known as the Road to the Santa Clara Airport, which goes from the airport to the Road to Camajuaní. The second section starts from the Circuito Norte, and goes east on the part known as the Cayo Santa María Courseway and continues until the middle of the Cayo Santa María.

Carretera a Cayo Santa María
Road to Cayo Santa Maria
Finished road (red), under construction (orange)
Route pour l'ile de cayo santa maria.JPG
The Courseway of Cayo Santa María
Route information
Existed2000–present
Major junctions
East endAbel Santamaría Airport
Major intersectionsCircuito Norte
West endCayo Santa María
Location
CountryCuba
ProvincesVilla Clara
MunicipalitiesSanta Clara, Camajuaní, Remedios, Caibarién
TownsCayo Santa María
VillagesBartolomé (planned), José María Pérez (planned)
Highway system

History

edit

In 1989, Fidel Castro states plans on making roads to connect to the provinces keys and make it a tourist area, with construction of the Causeway starting later that year. The Causeway finished paving all 48 km in 2000, becoming the longest Courseway in the world and has been awarded the Puente de Alcántara prize for the "Best Ibero-American Civil Works", for its size, structure, and engineering in an area of great economic potential and its integration into the natural landscape.[1] In 2020, Mintur, made an observation on the causeway, with it needing the readjustment of the metal road protection curbs, along more than 40km, and the repair of several connecting bridges of the viaduct. The biggest hit on the road was Hurricane Irma in 2017, causing increasing displacement of the internal components of the structure. [2]

 
Santa Clara Airport section of the road

The road from the airport was first planned to be 53 km and go directly from the airport to the Causeway, with it going south of the Road to Camajuaní and the Circuito Norte, near the towns of Bartolomé and Rojas, on the Remedios–Zulueta Road (4–641) and Carretera a Rojas.[3] The plan was supposed to be revived in 2011, with 15 km already built beforehand, they just needed the final touches for it to get approved for the economy of next year,[4] although the road is currently only under construction in the eastern intersection with the Circuito Norte, and nothing appears to be done in the west. Once finished, the whole road going from the airport to Santa María would be about 106 km.[citation needed]


Route

edit
Municipality Location ↓km↓ Destination Notes
Santa Clara Abel Santamaria Airport 0   Abel Santamaría Airport Road starts at roundabout
Santa Clara Frank País 3   4–311 – Encrucijada, Santa Clara No official exit going east on the airport road, although it is common for people to go on the grass in the median.
Santa Clara 15   4–321 – Camajuaní, Santa Clara
Camajuaní ? ?   4–401 – Camajuani, José María Pérez (planned)  
Remedios Nearby Bartolome ?   4–461 – Remedios, Zulueta (planned)  
Remedios 47 Carretera a Rojas – Rojas, Remedios (under construction)  
Caibarién 53 Circuito NorteCaibarién, Dolores
Caibarién Las Brujas Airport 91   Las Brujas Airport
Caibarién Cayo Santa María Wildlife Refuge 106 Unnamed road – Punta Amanecer Road to Cayo Santamaria ends at a dirt road

References

edit
  1. ^ "Caibarien causeway, a dream come true - Covering Cuba Tourism & Travel, Food & Cuisine, Culture, Health, Business, Events". www.cubaplusmagazine.com. Retrieved 2024-07-19.
  2. ^ "Villa Clara: Reparan pedraplén de la Cayería Norte". Cubadebate.
  3. ^ "Nueva carretera favorecerá desarrollo turístico de la cayería norte de Villa Clara". CiberCuba (in Spanish). 2011-12-11. Retrieved 2024-07-19.
  4. ^ García Santos, Nelson (2011-12-08). "Construirán carretera que conecta los cayos con Santa Clara". Juventud Rebelde.