Puerto Rico Highway 12

Highway 12 marker
Highway 12
Ruta 12
Avenida Santiago de los Caballeros
Route information
Maintained by Puerto Rico DTPW
Length6.4 km[1] (4.0 mi)
Existed1960[2][note 1]–present
Major junctions
South endPort of Ponce in Playa
Major intersections
North end PR-14 in Machuelo Abajo
Location
CountryUnited States
TerritoryPuerto Rico
MunicipalitiesPonce
Highway system
← PR-10→ PR-14

Puerto Rico Highway 12 (PR-12), also called Avenida Malecón,[3] and Avenida Santiago de los Caballeros, is a 6.4-kilometer,[4] limited-access highway entirely located within the city limits of Ponce, Puerto Rico, and connecting Puerto Rico Highway 14 to the La Guancha area in Barrio Playa in Ponce.[5] It is similar to a freeway but has one traffic light near its intersection with PR-14. In addition to its northern and southern terminus, the highway has four full interchange exits: PR-52, PR-2, PR-133/Calle Comercio, and Avenida Las Américas. Since PR-12's southern terminus is at the Port of Ponce, its traffic volume is expected to grow as construction in the new Port of the Americas is completed.[6]

History

The 2.5 kilometer section of this road, from the Ponce Bypass to just a few feet from the Caribbean Sea at PR-123, was the first segment built; it was built in 1960.[2] It was called "Avenida Malecón" (Pier Avenue), as it led from the then-urbanized area of Ponce to the Ponce wharf. The segment north of PR-12's intersection with PR-2, that is, between PR-2 and Avenida Tito Castro was built in the 1990s, and completed in 2002, as part of the Ponce en Marcha project.[7]

PR-12 used to be signed as part of 'PR-14' before construction of the new PR-10 took place. The PR-14 signing has since been moved into another route (ending at Monumento a la abolición de la esclavitud, near downtown Ponce, while the PR-12 signing was assigned to the southernmost 5.28 kilometers of the old PR-14 route. As of 2008, the Puerto Rico Department of Transportation and Public Works had not yet updated the signing on the road, but by 2011 it had.

  • Southbound lanes of PR-12, near exit to PR-133 (Calle Comercio), in Ponce
    Southbound lanes of PR-12, near exit to PR-133 (Calle Comercio), in Ponce
  • 2008 PR-12 photo with old PR-14 signing
    2008 PR-12 photo with old PR-14 signing
  • Detailed map of PR-12
    Detailed map of PR-12

Major intersections

The entire route is located in Ponce. All exits are unnumbered.

  • PR-12 north at its exit to Avenida Caribe
    PR-12 north at its exit to Avenida Caribe
  • PR-12 north at its exit to Avenida Rafael Cordero Santiago
    PR-12 north at its exit to Avenida Rafael Cordero Santiago
  • PR-12 north near its exit to PR-163 (Avenida Las Américas)
    PR-12 north near its exit to PR-163 (Avenida Las Américas)
Locationkm[1]miDestinationsNotes
Playa0.00.0Rafael Cordero Santiago Port of the Americas (Calle A)At-grade intersection; southern terminus of PR-12; access to the Complejo Recreativo y Cultural La Guancha
0.40.25
 PR-123 north		At-grade intersection; southern terminus of PR-123; access to Ponce Playa
1.0–
1.1		0.62–
0.68		Avenida CaribeAccess to Hilton Ponce Golf & Casino Resort
1.30.81Ponce Playa (Calle Puerto Viejo)Southbound exit and entrance; access to the Puerto Rico Department of Labor and Human Resources
2.11.3 PR-52 – San Juan, Juana Díaz, Santa Isabel, MayagüezCloverleaf interchange; PR-52 (unsigned PRI-1) exits 104A and 104B
2.51.6
 PR-52 south / PR-Avenida Rafael Cordero Santiago – Mayagüez, Plaza del Caribe		Partial cloverleaf interchange; access to the University of Puerto Rico at Ponce, Judicial Center and the Puerto Rico State Insurance Fund Corporation
San Antón3.32.1 PR-2 – Ponce Este, Ponce Oeste, MayagüezDiamond interchange; the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico access is via PR-2 west
4.12.5 PR-163 (Avenida Las Américas[a]) – Ponce Centro, Ponce EsteDiamond interchange; Museo de Arte de Ponce and the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico access is via PR-163 west
5.23.2 PR-133 (Calle Comercio) – Ponce CentroDiamond interchange
5.13.2
 PR-1 west (Bulevar Miguel Pou)		Incomplete diamond interchange; southbound exit and entrance; access to Ponce Centro
Machuelo Abajo5.73.5Calle Obispado (unsigned)At-grade intersection
6.44.0 PR-14 – Ponce Norte, Adjuntas, CerrillosSeagull intersection; northern terminus of PR-12; access to Ponce Centro and Juana Díaz
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
  1. ^ Avenida Las Américas is also known as Bulevar Luis A. Ferré.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ The segment south of the Ponce Bypass (PR-2) was built in 1960. The segment north of PR-2 was built in the 1990s, and completed in 2002.

References

  1. ^ a b "PR-12" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
  2. ^ a b Carmelo Rosario Natal. Ponce En Su Historia Moderna: 1945–2002. Published by Secretaría de Cultura y Turismo of the Government of the Autonomous Municipality of Ponce. Ponce, Puerto Rico. 2003. p. 53.
  3. ^ General Purpose Population Data, Census 2000. Unidad de Sistemas de Información Geográfica, Área de Tecnología de Información Gubernamental, Oficina de Gerencia y Presupuesto. Gobierno de Puerto Rico. Archived 12 August 2010 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved March 15, 2010.
  4. ^ Guía de Carreteras Principales, Expresos y Autopistas. (In Spanish) Puerto Rico Autoridad de Carreteras y Transportacion (ACT). 17 November 2010.
  5. ^ Highways and Transportation Authority. Office of Traffic Data Compilation and Analysis. (2010). Transito Promedio Diario [Average Daily Traffic (AADT)] (PDF) (Report) (in Spanish). San Juan, PR: Department of Transportation and Public Works. pp. 28–30. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 November 2010. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
  6. ^ Links to Port of the Americas
  7. ^ Neysa Rodriguez Deynes. Brevario sobre la Historia de Ponce. Published by Oficina de Cultura y Turismo of the Government of the Autonomous Municipality of Ponce. Ponce, Puerto Rico. 2002. p. 111.