National Route 1 (Argentina)
Encyclopedia
National Route 1, also known as Buenos Aires - La Plata Highway and officially called Autopista Doctor Ricardo Balbín since 2004, connects the Autopista 25 de Mayo in Buenos Aires
with Provincial Route 11, near the city of La Plata
. It has a length of 50 km (31 mi) with two or four lanes on each direction in different areas, and is indicated in red in the map.
On km marker 31 it connects with National Route A004
, the main road to the coastal tourist areas of Mar del Plata
and others in Buenos Aires Province
.
The highway runs (from northeast to southeast) through the partidos of Avellaneda
, Quilmes
, Berazategui
and Ensenada
.
and La Plata.
The road planned after studies done starting in 1964 was accepted as it required the least expropriations.
As the roadbed coincided in part with Acceso Sudeste which was a federally administered road, when defining the routing of the Autopista Buenos Aires - La Plata, the Federal Department of Public Works (Secretaría de Estado de Obras Públicas de la Nación) and the Buenos Aires Province Ministry of Public Works (Ministerio de Obras Públicas de la Provincia de Buenos Aires) took part in the discussions and planning.
The project was presented for its eventual bidding
on 3 August 1967. Although this project had been included in the Trienal Road Plan 1968-1970, the bidding did not take place.
On March 29, 1979 the national Department of Transportation and its provincial counterpart signed an agreement were both entities would call for a joint bidding for the construction and widening of the Buenos Aires - La Plata highway, dividing it in three sections: the first between the neighborhoods of La Boca
and Hudson, including the bridge over the Riachuelo, the second between Hudson and La Plata and the last one from the junction near Martín García Avenue until 9 July Avenue. This agreement was ratified by Provincial decree 9343.
On 30 March 1980 the Concesionaria Vial Argentino-Española (Coviares) company won the bid and obtained the work permits after signing a contract on 2 January 1983. This contract, with state subsidies was re-negotiated several times until September 1994, when the project was added to the Red de Accesos a Buenos Aires (Buenos Aires Access Roads) plan, replacing the state subsidy with an extension of the concession to 22 years.
After several stops and starts, on 1 July 1995 the Buenos Aires - Quilmes section was opened to traffic. On November 17 of the same year the connection with Provincial Route 36 in Juan María Gutiérrez was completed, (road that connects to the southeast of Buenos Aires province). Finally, on 24 May 2002 the section from Hudson
to Provincial Route 11 was completed.
The original concession contract included the construction of a coastal highway that would join this road with the Autopista Illia going through Puerto Madero
and Retiro
, in Buenos Aires city, but it was never built.
On 17 July 2004, Congress changed its name to Doctor Ricardo Balbín
by law #25912 to commemorate the leader of the Unión Cívica Radical.
In November 2005 work was started to add a third lane on each direction between Acceso Sudeste and Quilmes (10 km (6 mi)) but work was stopped and not resumed.
, as seen in the green line. The Avellaneda - Gutiérrez section run on the old National Route 2, the continued parallel to the Ferrocarril General Roca
railroad until joining Camino General Belgrano, then following to the provincial capital.
Through Law #1595 of 1979 the road was transferred to provincial control. Buenos Aires Province took over in 1988, so the section northeeast of Juan María Gutiérrez circle
is now part of Provincial Route 36, while the 28 km (17 mi) southeast of the circle up until 32nd Street in La Plata, is part of Provincial Route 1.
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
with Provincial Route 11, near the city of La Plata
La Plata
La Plata is the capital city of the Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and of La Plata partido. According to the , the city proper has a population of 574,369 and its metropolitan area has 694,253 inhabitants....
. It has a length of 50 km (31 mi) with two or four lanes on each direction in different areas, and is indicated in red in the map.
On km marker 31 it connects with National Route A004
National Route A004 (Argentina)
National Route A004 is a four-lane highway connecting National Route 1 at km marker 31 with the Juan María Gutiérrez circle in Greater Buenos Aires...
, the main road to the coastal tourist areas of Mar del Plata
Mar del Plata
Mar del Plata is an Argentine city located on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, south of Buenos Aires. Mar del Plata is the second largest city of Buenos Aires Province. The name "Mar del Plata" had apparently the sense of "sea of the Río de la Plata region" or "adjoining sea to the Río de la Plata"...
and others in Buenos Aires Province
Buenos Aires Province
The Province of Buenos Aires is the largest and most populous province of Argentina. It takes the name from the city of Buenos Aires, which used to be the provincial capital until it was federalized in 1880...
.
The highway runs (from northeast to southeast) through the partidos of Avellaneda
Avellaneda Partido
Avellaneda is a partido in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. It has an area of 55.17 km² and a population of 340,985 . Its capital is the city of Avellaneda....
, Quilmes
Quilmes Partido
Quilmes is a partido of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, within the Gran Buenos Aires conurbation.It has an area of 125 square kilometres, and a population of 580,829 , making it the third most populus partido in the Gran Buenos Aires...
, Berazategui
Berazategui Partido
Berazategui is a partido in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. With a surface of 188 km² and a population of 320,224 , it is located at the southeast of the Greater Buenos Aires urban conglomerate, and its capital is Berazategui city.It was part of the Quilmes Partido until 1960.The...
and Ensenada
Ensenada Partido
Ensenada Partido is a district of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, belonging to the Greater La Plata area, just south of the Gran Buenos Aires urban conglomerate....
.
History
The origins of this road go back to the Plan Director para Capital Federal y lineamientos estructurales para el Area Metropolitana y su región (Directing Plan for Capital Federal and structural guidelines for the metropolitan area and region) written by Buenos Aires City Hall between 1958 and 1965, where they describe, among others, a coastal highway between the cities of TigreTigre, Buenos Aires
Tigre is a town in the Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, situated in the north of Greater Buenos Aires, north of Buenos Aires city. Tigre lies on the Paraná Delta and is an important tourist and weekend attraction, easily reached by bus and train services, including the scenic Tren de la Costa...
and La Plata.
The road planned after studies done starting in 1964 was accepted as it required the least expropriations.
As the roadbed coincided in part with Acceso Sudeste which was a federally administered road, when defining the routing of the Autopista Buenos Aires - La Plata, the Federal Department of Public Works (Secretaría de Estado de Obras Públicas de la Nación) and the Buenos Aires Province Ministry of Public Works (Ministerio de Obras Públicas de la Provincia de Buenos Aires) took part in the discussions and planning.
The project was presented for its eventual bidding
Construction bidding
Construction bidding is the process of submitting a proposal to undertake, or manage the undertaking of a construction project. The process starts with a construction estimate from blueprints and take offs....
on 3 August 1967. Although this project had been included in the Trienal Road Plan 1968-1970, the bidding did not take place.
On March 29, 1979 the national Department of Transportation and its provincial counterpart signed an agreement were both entities would call for a joint bidding for the construction and widening of the Buenos Aires - La Plata highway, dividing it in three sections: the first between the neighborhoods of La Boca
La Boca
La Boca is a neighborhood, or barrio of the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires. It retains a strong European flavour, with many of its early settlers being from the Italian city of Genoa. In fact the name has a strong assonance with the Genoese neighborhood of Boccadasse , and some people believe that...
and Hudson, including the bridge over the Riachuelo, the second between Hudson and La Plata and the last one from the junction near Martín García Avenue until 9 July Avenue. This agreement was ratified by Provincial decree 9343.
On 30 March 1980 the Concesionaria Vial Argentino-Española (Coviares) company won the bid and obtained the work permits after signing a contract on 2 January 1983. This contract, with state subsidies was re-negotiated several times until September 1994, when the project was added to the Red de Accesos a Buenos Aires (Buenos Aires Access Roads) plan, replacing the state subsidy with an extension of the concession to 22 years.
After several stops and starts, on 1 July 1995 the Buenos Aires - Quilmes section was opened to traffic. On November 17 of the same year the connection with Provincial Route 36 in Juan María Gutiérrez was completed, (road that connects to the southeast of Buenos Aires province). Finally, on 24 May 2002 the section from Hudson
Hudson, Buenos Aires
Guillermo Enrique Hudson is a semi-rural town in Berazategui Partido of Buenos Aires province, Argentina.The town is named after writer William Henry Hudson using the Spanish translation of his name....
to Provincial Route 11 was completed.
The original concession contract included the construction of a coastal highway that would join this road with the Autopista Illia going through Puerto Madero
Puerto Madero
Puerto Madero, also known within the urban planning community as the Puerto Madero Waterfront, is a barrio of the Argentine capital at Buenos Aires CBD, occupying a significant portion of the Río de la Plata riverbank and representing the latest architectural trends in the city of Buenos...
and Retiro
Retiro, Buenos Aires
Retiro is a barrio in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Located in the northeast end of the city, Retiro is bordered on the south by the Puerto Madero and San Nicolás wards, and on the west by the Recoleta ward.-Urban character:...
, in Buenos Aires city, but it was never built.
On 17 July 2004, Congress changed its name to Doctor Ricardo Balbín
Ricardo Balbín
Ricardo Balbín was an Argentine lawyer and politician, and one of the most important figures of the centrist Radical Civic Union , for which he was the presidential nominee four times: in 1951, 1958, and twice in 1973....
by law #25912 to commemorate the leader of the Unión Cívica Radical.
In November 2005 work was started to add a third lane on each direction between Acceso Sudeste and Quilmes (10 km (6 mi)) but work was stopped and not resumed.
Service stations and toll booths
- km 7.22: Dock Sud Toll
- km 13.30: YPF service area (southbound)
- km 13.51: YPF service area (northbound)
- km 30.14: Peaje Hudson
- km 36.54: Shell service area (southbound)
- km 48.20: Shell service area (northbound)
Old road
Before 1979 Nacional Route 1 was placed farther aways from the Río de la PlataRío de la Plata
The Río de la Plata —sometimes rendered River Plate in British English and the Commonwealth, and occasionally rendered [La] Plata River in other English-speaking countries—is the river and estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River on the border between Argentina and...
, as seen in the green line. The Avellaneda - Gutiérrez section run on the old National Route 2, the continued parallel to the Ferrocarril General Roca
Ferrocarril General Roca
Ferrocarril General Roca , named after the former Argentine president Julio Argentino Roca, was one of the six state-owned Argentine railway companies formed after President Juan Perón's nationalisation of the railway network in 1948...
railroad until joining Camino General Belgrano, then following to the provincial capital.
Through Law #1595 of 1979 the road was transferred to provincial control. Buenos Aires Province took over in 1988, so the section northeeast of Juan María Gutiérrez circle
Traffic circle
A traffic circle or rotary is a type of circular intersection in which traffic must travel in one direction around a central island. In some countries, traffic entering the circle has the right-of-way and drivers in the circle must yield. In many other countries, traffic entering the circle must...
is now part of Provincial Route 36, while the 28 km (17 mi) southeast of the circle up until 32nd Street in La Plata, is part of Provincial Route 1.