# Vía Blanca

Vía Blanca (I-3) is a highway in northern Cuba, connecting the capital city of Havana and the city of Matanzas. A second section extends eastwards from Matanzas to the tourist town of Varadero and to Cárdenas. Even if it is a motorway (autopista), it is part of the national highway named "Circuito Norte" (CN).

## History

The motorway, connected to the A2 (Havana Ring Road), was opened in 1960. Its construction begun in 1945 with the bridge of Bacunayagua, on the Mayabeque/Matanzas province border. This is the highest Cuban bridge and was completed in 1960.

## Route
### Overview

It is mostly a four lane highway, with some divided sections. It runs east-west for 85 km between Havana and Matanzas, crossing the town of Santa Cruz del Norte, and an additional 53 km east to Varadero, at the northern tip of Peninsula de Hicacos (the section between Matanzas and Varadero is a toll road). Most of the highway runs along the Straits of Florida shoreline. This is one of the busiest highways in Cuba, as it joins the two tourist destinations of Havana and Varadero.

### Description

Vía Blanca starts at the Ciudad Deportiva, on the south-western side of Havana, between Cerro and Diez de Octubre. It runs for 12 km through Luyanó and Old Havana border, the harbour area, Regla and Guanabacoa, before crossing the Vía Monumental in Habana del Este. A brief section in Luyanó includes the route of the Carretera Central highway.
The motorway-type section (138 kilometres (86 mi)) starts in Havana, on a roundabout (Rotonda de Cojímar) before the Monumental, and ends north of Cárdenas. In Matanzas city center it crosses the seafront. It is a dual carriageway road, with four lanes for almost the entire route, but there are six lanes for a short section in east Havana. It has some at-grade intersections with rural roads. The exit at Varadero is the starting point of an 18-km long beltway, named Autopista Sur ("South Motorway"), that runs through the town.
The table below shows the exits of the motorway-type section of the Vía Blanca:
AUTOPISTA "VÍA BLANCA" :
| Exit | ↓km↓ | Province | Note |
| Habana Redonda Cojímar | 0.0 | Havana | |
| Primer Anillo (Havana Beltway) (Vía Monumental - link to other motorways) | 1.2 | Havana | |
| Habana Alamar | 3.3 | Havana | |
| Habana Bacuranao-Celimar | 7.0 | Havana | |
| Habana Tarará | 10.7 | Havana | |
| Habana Mégano | 11.6 | Havana | |
| Habana Santa María del Mar | 12.4 | Havana | |
| Rest area "Guanabo" | 16.9 | Mayabeque | |
| Habana Guanabo | 17.0 | Havana | |
| Rest area | 18.0 | Havana | |
| Habana Peñas Altas-Veneciana (to Guanabo East) | 19.6 | Havana | |
| Habana Brisas del Mar | 20.5 | Havana | |
| Playa del Muerto (Boca de Jaruco Oil Field) | 26.2 | Mayabeque | |
| Boca de Jaruco | 31.4 | Mayabeque | |
| Termoeléctrica de Santa Cruz (restricted access - employees only) | 39.2 | Mayabeque | |
| Santa Cruz del Norte | 41.5 | Mayabeque | |
| Rest area "Servicentro Vía Blanca" | 42.7 | Mayabeque | |
| Santa Cruz del Norte-Jaruco (Camilo Cienfuegos - to San José de las Lajas) | 42.8 | Mayabeque | |
| El Fraile | 47.5 | Mayabeque | |
| Playa Jibacoa | 50.3 | Mayabeque | |
| Concuní | 52.5 | Mayabeque | |
| Rest area "Quiosco Guarapiña Gil Alberto" | 56.5 | Mayabeque | |
| Arcos de Canasí-Puerto Libre (to Playa Jibacoa) | 57.8 | Mayabeque | |
| Batey San Juan | 60.3 | Mayabeque | |
| Puerto Escondido | 64.2 | Mayabeque | |
| Bacunayagua | 66.7 | Mayabeque | |
| Mirador de Bacunayagua (overlooking point of Bacunayagua Bridge) | 69.1 | Mayabeque | |
| Puente de Bacunayagua | 69.2 | Mayabeque Matanzas | |
| Bacunayagua Este | 71.8 | Matanzas | |
| Rincón Moderno | 74.9 | Matanzas | |
| Rest area "Restaurante La Criolla" | 77.9 | Matanzas | |
| Valle del Yumurí (San Roque - San Valentín) | 83.4 | Matanzas | |
| Matanzas Puerto | 87.0 | Matanzas | |
| Matanzas Versalles | 88.2 | Matanzas | |
| Matanzas Centro | 89.1 | Matanzas | |
| Matanzas La Playa | 90.6 | Matanzas | |
| Matanzas Calle 129-Cuevas de Bellamar | 91.6 | Matanzas | CC route |
| Matanzas Peñas Altas | 93.5 | Matanzas | CC route |
| Matanzas Reynold García | 95.7 | Matanzas | |
| Matanzas Universidad | 97.0 | Matanzas | |
| Canímar | 97.8 | Matanzas | |
| Puente de Canímar | 98.1 | Matanzas | |
| San Felipe | 98.3 | Matanzas | |
| Escuela Militar Camilo Cienfuegos (restricted access - FAR military school) | 39.2 | Matanzas | |
| El Mamey | 99.5 | Matanzas | |
| Carbonera-Aeropuerto J.G.Gómez (to Cueva de Saturno) | 106.0 | Matanzas | |
| Boca de Camarioca-Camarioca | 115.0 | Matanzas | |
| Boca de Camarioca | 116.0 | Matanzas | |
| Julián Alemán | 118.0 | Matanzas | |
| Toll plaza | 118.5 | Matanzas | |
| Varadero-Playa Caleta | 121.0 | Matanzas | |
| Varadero ( 18-km beltway to Varadero town center) | 124.0 | Matanzas | |
| Santa Marta | 125.0 | Matanzas | |
| Santa Marta Parque Industrial | 127.0 | Matanzas | |
| Guásimas-Humberto Álvarez | 129.0 | Matanzas | |
| Cárdenas Cementerio | 135.0 | Matanzas | |
| Cárdenas Brisas del Mar (Cárdenas City Hospital) | 136.0 | Matanzas | |
| Cárdenas Centro | 138.0 | Matanzas | |
| Vía Blanca – Varadero City Beltway (Autopista Sur) ||||||
| Exit | ↓km↓ | Province | Note |
| Varadero–Vía Blanca (main route) | 0.0 | Matanzas | |
| Varadero Oeste | 0.5 | Matanzas | |
| Varadero Calle 17-Isla del Sur | 1.0 | Matanzas | |
| Varadero Calle 24 | 1.5 | Matanzas | |
| Varadero Calle 30 | 2.0 | Matanzas | |
| Varadero Calle 36-Terminal de Ómnibus | 2.5 | Matanzas | |
| Varadero Parque Central | 3.3 | Matanzas | |
| Varadero Parque Josone | 4.1 | Matanzas | |
| Varadero Avenida Primera | 5.0 | Matanzas | |
| Varadero Calle K | 6.6 | Matanzas | |
| Varadero Golf Club | 8.6 | Matanzas | |
| Varadero Plaza America | 9.2 | Matanzas | |
| Varadero Sol Elite Palmeras | 10.0 | Matanzas | |
| Varadero Bella Vista | 10.6 | Matanzas | |
| Varadero Ocean Vista | 10.9 | Matanzas | |
| Varadero Naviti Beach Club | 11.1 | Matanzas | |
| Varadero Arena Doradas/British Caribe | 12.1 | Matanzas | |
| Varadero Muthu Playa/Turquesa | 12.5 | Matanzas | |
| Varadero Delfinarium | 13.1 | Matanzas | |
| Varadero Camino Milián | 13.6 | Matanzas | |
| Varadero Aguas Azules | 14.0 | Matanzas | |
| Varadero Hicacos | 14.3 | Matanzas | |
| Varadero Varahicacos | 15.6 | Matanzas | |
| Varadero Memories | 16.5 | Matanzas | |
| Varadero Meliá Península | 17.1 | Matanzas | |
| Varadero Meliá Marina | 18.0 | Matanzas | |