Puerto Rico Highway 52

Highway 52
Highway 52
Ruta 52
Autopista Luis A. Ferré
	PR-52 highlighted in red
Route information
	Maintained by Metropistas
Length	108.5 km (67.4 mi)
Existed	1968–present
Major junctions
South end	PR-2 / PR-9 in Canas
	PR-12 in Playa; PR-1 in Vayas; PR-10 in Sabanetas; PR-149 in Amuelas; PR-153 in Felicia 2; PR-1 in Lapa; PR-53 in Lapa; PR-184 in Beatriz; PR-1 / PR-30 in Bairoa; PR-199 in Monacillo;
North end	PR-1 / PR-18 in Monacillo Urbano
Location
Country	United States
Territory	Puerto Rico
Municipalities	Ponce, Juana Díaz, Santa Isabel, Salinas, Cayey, Caguas, Trujillo Alto, San Juan
Highway system
	Roads in Puerto Rico; List;

Puerto Rico Highway 52 (PR-52), a major toll road in Puerto Rico, is also known as Autopista Luis A. Ferré. It was formerly called Expreso Las Américas. It runs from PR-1 in southwest Río Piedras and heads south until it intersects with highway PR-2 in Ponce.^[3] At its north end, the short PR-18 continues north from PR-52 towards San Juan. This short segment is known as Expreso Las Américas, the only segment of the route still unofficially bearing this name, since PR-18 is officially named Roberto Sánchez Vilella Expressway. The combined route of PR-18 and PR-52 runs concurrent with the unsigned Interstate Highway PRI-1. Toll stations are located in San Juan, Caguas, Salinas, Juana Díaz, and Ponce.

Puerto Rico Highway 52 by municipality
Heading south in Cayey
Heading north between Salinas and Cayey
Heading north near Santa Isabel

Route description

Detailed map of PR-52 in the municipality of Ponce

PR-52 is Puerto Rico's longest and second most traveled tollway. The road is mostly a 2-lane road in each direction. The section between the Caguas toll and the town of Salinas crosses the Cordillera Central, resulting in a more curvy and hilly section than the other sections of the highway. It also experiences more fog and lower visibility than the rest of the road due to the altitude. The speed limit is also reduced in the area.

One of Puerto Rico's only 2 rest areas is located on this expressway. map The other rest area is located on PR-53 (northbound only) near Humacao/Naguabo municipality border although it is signed as a scenic zone and thus just like the rest area on PR-52, it has no facilities. map The rest area, however, has no relief, vending, or service facilities such as a restaurant or a gas station. The rest area does include an important monument, the Monumento al Jíbaro Puertorriqueño. The whimsical Tetas de Cayey are visible from this rest area as well.

PR-52 passes extremely close to the central town of Cidra between approximately kilometer markers 34 and 30. In fact, Exit 32 to Guavate is so close to the Cidra border that once the exit is taken and instead of going south to Guavate and Patillas through PR-184, going north it quickly ends at PR-1 and a welcome sign to Cidra is shown. The tollway itself never enters Cidra itself, but PR-1 (the parallel road from Ponce to San Juan) does.

The speed limit from San Juan to Caguas is 55 miles per hour (89 km/h). From Caguas to Salinas, it is 45 miles per hour (72 km/h), and from Salinas to Ponce, it is 65 miles per hour (105 km/h).

The Monumento al Jíbaro Puertorriqueño and Las Tetas de Cayey
View from PR-52 in Cayey
A Toyota Tacoma pick-up truck on PR-52 south, with water and flag, after Hurricane Maria (2017)

Express lanes

In 2021, the Puerto Rico Department of Transportation and Public Works and the Puerto Rico Highways and Transportation Authority inaugurated express lanes with dynamic tolling (DTL) between San Juan and Caguas to help alleviate traffic congestion during peak hours.^[4] These reversible lanes extends from PR-18, near Río Piedras Medical Center, to the Caguas Norte Toll Plaza with a variable rate between $0.50 and $6.00 per direction.^[5] The speed limit on the nearly 14-kilometer route ranges between 50 and 55 miles per hour (80–90 km/h). It is expected that in the long term the lanes will be extended to PR-30 heading to Gurabo.^[6]

History

The building of this 108-kilometer (67 mi)^[7] expressway took place during the administration of governor Luis A. Ferré, who was trained as a civil engineer himself. ^[8] It was built at a cost of $125 million.^[9] PR-52 was Puerto Rico's first toll road ever. Construction for this road started in October 1968 during the administration of governor Roberto Sánchez Vilella, also a trained engineer, and continued during Luis Ferre's tenure. It was then named Autopista Las Américas, and it was planned to run from San Juan to Ponce.^[2] On 9 December 1993, Law 118 was enacted which renamed the roadway Autopista Luis A. Ferré.^[2] The expressway is currently the longest in the island, but this will change when the 83-km-long PR-22 extends to Aguadilla. In March 1969 the roadway became a tolled expressway. The Puerto Rico Highway and Transportation Authority reports that tolls were added to the highway to speed up its construction.^[2] The road was completed in 1975 during the first administration of governor Rafael Hernández Colón.^[10]

On 22 July 2019, more than half a million Puerto Ricans shut down PR-52 demanding the resignation of the then governor, Ricardo Rosselló, following a leaked Telegram chat between the governor and several members of his cabinet.^{[citation needed]}

Tolls

Location	Toll^[11]	Direction
Ponce	$0.90	Two-way
Juana Díaz Oeste	$0.60	Northbound
Juana Díaz Este	$0.60	Southbound
Rampa Salinas	$0.40	Northbound exit and southbound entrance (ramp)
Salinas	$2.00	Northbound
Caguas Sur	$1.15	Southbound
Caguas Norte	$1.75	Northbound
Rampa Montehiedra	$0.40	Northbound entrance (ramp)

Exit list

PR-52 south at its exit to PR-1 south in San Juan
PR-52 south approaching exits 1A-B to PR-177 in San Juan
PR-52 south at exit 2 to PR-199 in San Juan
PR-52 south entering Ponce at its interchange with PR-10

Municipality	Location	km^[1]	mi	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Ponce	Canas	108.5	67.4	108	PR-2 west (PRI-2 / Expreso Roberto Sánchez Vilella) – Mayagüez, Guayanilla	Southern terminus of Interstate PR1 and PR-52. Splits into PR-2. PR-2 exit 224.
	Canas	108.0	67.1	108	PR-2 east (Ponce Bypass) / PR-9 north (Avenida Baramaya) – Ponce Oeste
	Playa	105.5	65.6	Ponce Toll Plaza
	Playa	104.9	65.2	104	PR-12 (Avenida Rafael Cordero Santiago) – Ponce Centro, Plaza del Caribe, Ponce Playa, Zona Portuaria	Signed as exits 104A (north) and 104B (south)
	Vayas	100.9– 100.8	62.7– 62.6	101	PR-1 – Ponce Centro, Mercedita	Signed as exits 101A (west) and 101B (east)
	Sabanetas	98.0	60.9	98	PR-10 – Ponce Norte, Adjuntas, Mercedita Airport	Signed as exits 98A (north) and 98B (south), access to San Lucas Hospital
	Coto Laurel	95.5	59.3	95	PR-506 – Coto Laurel
Juana Díaz	Sabana Llana	93.8	58.3	Juana Díaz Oeste Toll Plaza (toll northbound only)
	Amuelas	91.2	56.7	91	PR-149 (Bulevar Carlos Bernier Rodríguez) – Juana Díaz, Villalba, Fort Allen
	Río Cañas Abajo	85.6	53.2	Juana Díaz Este Toll Plaza (toll southbound only)
Santa Isabel	Descalabrado	81.4	50.6	80	PR-536 – Descalabrado, Los Llanos	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
	Descalabrado–Felicia 2 line	77.7	48.3	77	PR-545 – Gabia
	Felicia 2	77.0– 76.9	47.8– 47.8	76	PR-153 – Santa Isabel, Coamo
Salinas	Lapa	66.2	41.1	65	PR-1 – Salinas, Campamento Santiago	Toll on northbound off-ramp and southbound on-ramp
		61.5	38.2	61	PR-53 east (Autopista José M. Dávila Monsanto) – Guayama	The northbound exit into the southwestern terminus of PR-53.
		60.8	37.8	60	PR-53 east (Autopista José M. Dávila Monsanto) – Guayama	Directional T interchange; The left southbound exit into the southwestern terminus of PR-53
		57.9	36.0	Salinas Toll Plaza (toll northbound only)
		57.6– 57.5	35.8– 35.7	58	PR-1 / PR-712 – Albergue Olímpico	Access via PR-1 / PR-712
	Palmas–Lapa line	49.2	30.6	—	Rest Area	Northbound exit has access to PR-714.
Cayey	Monte Llano	38.8	24.1	39	To PR-1 – Cayey, Aibonito, Cidra	Access to Centro Médico Menonita de Cayey
Cayey	Beatriz	32.2	20.0	32	PR-184 to PR-1 – Cidra, Guavate, Cayey Este	This exit is just a few feet away from the border of Cidra and Cayey
Caguas	Turabo	23.5	14.6	Caguas Sur Toll Plaza (toll southbound only)
	Turabo	23.1	14.4	23	To PR-1 – Caguas Sur, Borinquen
	Turabo–Cañaboncito line	21.4	13.3	21	PR-172 (Avenida Pino) – Caguas Sur, Cidra, Certenejas	The direct exit to Menonita Caguas Regional Hospital and Plaza del Carmen Mall
	Cañaboncito	20.5– 20.4	12.7– 12.7	20	Avenida Federico Degetau (PR-34)	Unsigned
	Caguas barrio-pueblo	19.3	12.0	19	PR-156 – Aguas Buenas, Caguas
	Bairoa	18.4	11.4	18	PR-196 (Avenida José Garrido) – Bairoa, Valle Tolima	The direct exit to Las Catalinas Mall.
		16.1	10.0	15B	PR-1 south / PR-30 east (Expreso Cruz Ortiz Stella) – Caguas, Humacao, Gurabo	The exit from the southbound direction signed as Exit 14.
		15.8	9.8	15A	PR-1 north – San Juan, Guaynabo, Río Cañas	The exit from the southbound direction signed as Exit 15.
		15.5	9.6	15	PR-1 north – San Juan, Guaynabo, Río Cañas	The exits from the northbound direction signed as 15A (North) and 15B (South).
	Río Cañas	14.3– 14.2	8.9– 8.8	Caguas Norte Toll Plaza (toll northbound only)
	Río Cañas	14.2	8.8	14	PR-1 south / PR-30 east (Expreso Cruz Ortiz Stella) – Caguas, Humacao	Southbound exit
Trujillo Alto	No major junctions
San Juan	Caimito	4.1	2.5	4	PR-Avenida Montehiedra / PR-Camino Los Romero – Caimito	Toll on northbound on-ramp; signed as exits 4A and 4B southbound
	Monacillo	2.4	1.5	2	PR-199 (Avenida Doña Felisa Rincón de Gautier) – Guaynabo, Trujillo Alto, Cupey
	Monacillo Urbano	0.9– 0.8	0.56– 0.50	1	PR-177 (Avenida Lomas Verdes) – Guaynabo, Bayamón, Cupey	Southbound exits signed as 1A (west) and 1B (east)
		0.3	0.19	0B	PR-1 north – Carolina, Río Piedras, Trujillo Alto	No northbound access to PR-1 south.
		0.0	0.0	0A	PR-18 north (PRI-1 / Expreso Las Américas) – San Juan, Bayamón, Hato Rey	Northern terminus of PR-52; PRI-1 continues northbound via PR-18. Access to Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport and hospitals.
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Incomplete access Tolled Route transition