Puerto Rico Highway 66

Puerto Rico Highway 66 (PR-66)^[a] is a main tollway which parallels Puerto Rico Highway 3 going from the city of Carolina, Puerto Rico via a 3 loops cloverleaf interchange with PR-26 and PR-3,^[3] a major exit in the form of a Trumpet interchange in Canóvanas, Puerto Rico and ending in the municipality of Río Grande, Puerto Rico with an intersection of PR-3.^[4] It is only 19.5 kilometres (12.1 mi)^[5] long and has very few exits, which work mainly to minimize traffic in the congested Carolina area of PR-3.^[2]

Highway 66
Ruta 66
Autopista Roberto Sánchez Vilella
PR-66 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by Metropistas
Length	19.5 km[1] (12.1 mi)
Existed	2006[2]–present
Major junctions
West end	PR-3 / PR-26 in San Antón
Major intersections	PR-887 in Martín González PR-853 in Trujillo Bajo PR-185 in Canóvanas PR-9188 in Canóvanas PR-956 in Guzmán Abajo
East end	PR-3 / PR-187 in Guzmán Abajo
Location
Country	United States
Territory	Puerto Rico
Municipalities	Carolina, Canóvanas, Río Grande
Highway system
Roads in Puerto Rico List
← PR-65 → PR-100

The highway is called the Roberto Sánchez Vilella Expressway, which is also the name given to the much larger PR-2 freeway segment from Hormigueros to Ponce. The second phase of PR-66 from Canóvanas to Río Grande was opened on 1 October 2012.^[6]

Route description

• 
  A stretch of PR-66 heading to Río Grande
• 
  PR-66 interchange with PR-188 in Canóvanas
• 
  PR-66 starts at PR-3 in Río Grande

Naming

PR-66 is, in reality, an extension of older expressway PR-26, as both expressways are attached (that is, there is no need to take an exit to enter the other expressway, much like PR-18 and PR-52). PR-66 was assigned that number after U.S. Route 66 in the United States.^{[citation needed]}

Controversy

PR-66 is very close to the El Yunque National Forest and at the start of construction there were problems between developers and environmental activists. Several acts of disobedience took place, including removing beams which had already been installed.^[7] The expressway was planned to be extended to Fajardo but due to the close presence of the forest reserve, it was accorded to be extended to Río Grande and connect to PR-3 which has several exits between that municipality and Fajardo. It is possible PR-3 will be converted into a complete freeway, in that segment, as it approaches PR-53.^[8][9]

The short expressway is very expensive in terms of toll fees and many people still go through PR-3 as a consequence. There are no plans to change the cost. The current toll fees are $1.50 and $1.00, respectively. This makes this small freeway the second most expensive tollway in the US (excluding bridges and tunnels), after the Dulles Greenway in Virginia in terms of its small length, about 30 cents per mile (19 ¢/km). The result is that PR-66 has low traffic most all the time, including during rush hours.^[10] As of December 2011, the toll must be paid by pre-paid AutoExpreso.^[11]

Tolls

Toll on Puerto Rico Highway 66

Location	Toll[12]	Direction	AutoExpreso acceptance	AutoExpreso replenishment (R) lane
Carolina	$1.50	Two-way
Rampa Carolina Norte	$0.75	Westbound exit (ramp)
Rampa Carolina Sur	$0.75	Eastbound entrance (ramp)
Río Grande	$1.00	Two-way

Exit list

Municipality	Location	km[1]	mi	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Carolina	San Antón	0.0	0.0	—	PR-3 (Avenida 65 de Infantería) / PR-Avenida Jesús M. Fragoso – Carolina, Río Piedras PR-26 north (Expreso Román Baldorioty de Castro) – San Juan, Aeropuerto	Western terminus of PR-66
	Martín González	1.4	0.87	1	PR-887 – Carolina, Trujillo Alto, Saint Just
		3.2	2.0	Carolina Toll Plaza
	Trujillo Bajo	4.9	3.0	5	PR-853 (Carretera Felipe Birriel Fernández, "El Gigante de Carolina") – Carolina, Barrazas, Carruzos	Toll exit
Canóvanas	Canóvanas	10.8	6.7	10	PR-185 – Canóvanas, Juncos	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
		13.1	8.1	14	PR-9188 to PR-3 / PR-188 north – Canóvanas, Río Grande, Loíza	Unsigned
Río Grande	Guzmán Abajo	16.8	10.4	Río Grande Toll Plaza (ETC only; no AutoExpreso replenishment lane)
		19.1	11.9	19	PR-956 – Guzmán Abajo
		19.5	12.1	—	PR-3 / PR-187 north – Canóvanas, Luquillo, Fajardo, Río Grande	Eastern terminus of PR-66; PR-3 exit 25
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Electronic toll collection       Incomplete access        Tolled

See also

• Puerto Rico portal
• U.S. Roads portal

• Interstate Highways in Puerto Rico
• Roberto Sánchez Vilella

Notes

1. PR-66 is the unsigned Interstate PRI3

References

1. "PR-66" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
2. "Route 66 Extension to Río Grande". www.puertoricodaytrips.com.
3. "Tránsito Promedio Diario (AADT)". Transit Data (Datos de Transito) (in Spanish). DTOP PR. p. 54. Archived from the original on 1 April 2019.
4. National Geographic Maps (2011). Puerto Rico (Map). 1:125,000. Adventure Map (Book 3107). Evergreen, Colorado: National Geographic Maps. ISBN 978-1566955188. OCLC 756511572.
5. Guía de Carreteras Principales, Expresos y Autopistas. Departamento de Transportación y Obras Publicas de Puerto Rico. Accessed 21 February 2020.
6. "Fortuño inaugura nuevo tramo de la Ruta 66". El Nuevo Día (in Spanish). 30 September 2012. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
7. "2000 TSPR 60 Wanda Colón Cortés v. Carlos I. Pesquera CC-99-0666" (PDF). Rama Judicial de Puerto Rico (in Spanish). Supreme Court of Puerto Rico. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
8. "Inauguran nuevo tramo de la Ruta 66". Primera Hora. 30 September 2012.
9. "Convertirán carretera PR-3 en expreso última fase PR-66 hasta Fajardo".
10. "Ruta 66: opinan que es costoso para un trayecto tan corto". Primera Hora. 3 December 2012.
11. "AutoExpreso". www.autoexpreso.com.
12. "Mapas y Tarifas". Metropistas (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 26 February 2024. Retrieved 26 February 2024.

External links

Template:Attached KML/Puerto Rico Highway 66

KML is from Wikidata

• Media related to Puerto Rico Highway 66 at Wikimedia Commons