# 1953 Puerto Rico highway renumbering

This article is part of the highway renumbering series. :
| Alabama | 1928, 1957 |
| Arkansas | 1926 |
| California | 1964 |
| Colorado | 1953, 1968 |
| Connecticut | 1932, 1963 |
| Florida | 1945 |
| Indiana | 1926 |
| Iowa | 1926, 1969 |
| Louisiana | 1955 |
| Maine | 1933 |
| Massachusetts | 1933 |
| Minnesota | 1934 |
| Missouri | 1926 |
| Montana | 1932 |
| Nebraska | 1926 |
| Nevada | 1976 |
| New Jersey | 1927, 1953 |
| New Mexico | 1988 |
| New York | 1927, 1930 |
| North Carolina | 1934, 1937, 1940, 1961 |
| Ohio | 1923, 1927, 1962 |
| Pennsylvania | 1928, 1961 |
| Puerto Rico | 1953 |
| South Carolina | 1928, 1937 |
| South Dakota | 1927, 1975 |
| Tennessee | 1983 |
| Texas | 1939 |
| Utah | 1962, 1977 |
| Virginia | 1923, 1928, 1933, 1940, 1958 |
| Washington | 1964 |
| Wisconsin | 1926 |
| Wyoming | 1927 |
| This box: viewtalkedit ||
In 1953, the Puerto Rico Department of Transportation and Public Works implemented a major renumbering of its insular highways. Before 1953, highway routes were numbered in the 1 to just over 100 range and were distributed randomly throughout the island, resulting in several routes with long road lengths. The numbering system adopted in 1953, which is in use today, increased the range of route numbers from the just-over-100 to 999, resulting in a decrease in the length of many routes. This new numbering system follows a grid pattern for highways numbered between 100 and 999, with the lower numbered roads found to the west and systematically increasing towards 999 as the traveler moves easterly. Although PR-1, PR-2 and PR-3 routes had notable changes in some of their segments, these three are the only highways that kept their route numbers intact due to their interregional prominence.

## History

The first major roadways in Puerto Rico were built by the Government of Spain. By 1898, the year when Puerto Rico was ceded by Spain to the United States, 275 kilometers (171 mi) of roadways had been built. Additionally, 615 km (382 mi) were built between 1898 and 1908, 300 km (190 mi) more were added from 1908 to 1918, and 483 km (300 mi) were added from 1918 to 1927. By March 1928, there were 12 districts and some highway routes, particularly routes number 1, 2 and 3, crossed multiple districts. Some of the highways within the 12 districts included:
| District | Road Numbers |
| 1 | 1, 3 |
| 2 | 1, 2, 3, 16 |
| 3 | 2, 13, 27 |
| 4 | 3, 4, Salinas-Cayey |
| 5 | 2, 6, 13, 33, 34 |
| 6 | 6, 15, 17 |
| 7 | 1, 9, 10, 15 |
| 8 | 3, 5, 7, 28 |
| 9 | 2, 9, 10, 24 |
| 10 | 2, 8, 11, Guajataca |
| 11 | 2, 11, 20 |
| 12 | 8, 13 |
* Road from San Juan to Ponce in Aibonito
* Road from Cayey to Guayama in Cayey
* Road from Ponce to Arecibo in Ponce
* Road from Orocovis to Corozal in Orocovis
* Road from Gurabo to San Juan in Gurabo
* Road from Utuado to Barceloneta in Ciales

## Highway numbers

| Old Number | Southern or western terminus | Northern or eastern terminus | Length, km (mi) | New Number/s | Notes |
| Route 1 | Barrio Playa in Ponce | La Fortaleza in San Juan | 136.7 (84.9) | PR-123, PR-14, PR-1, PR-25 | Carretera Central. Parts of PR-14R, PR-735, PR-798, PR-8834, PR-873 and PR-8838 belong to original segments of this highway. |
| Route 2 | Route 6 in Ponce | Route 1 in San Juan | 261.2 (162.3) | PR-132, PR-2, PR-115, PR-23, PR-1, PR-39 | Parts of PR-127, PR-121, PR-102, PR-114, PR-239 (formerly PR-2R), PR-104, PR-439, PR-4439, PR-1107 (formerly PR-111), PR-460, PR-469, PR-112, PR-113, PR-479, PR-484, PR-4491, PR-119, PR-4490, PR-660, PR-681, PR-6681, PR-662, PR-669, PR-670, PR-155, PR-160, PR-676, PR-680, PR-165, PR-8865, PR-864, PR-855, PR-41 and PR-42 belong to original segments of this highway. |
| Route 3 | Route 1 in Ponce | Route 1 in San Juan | 199.7 (124.1) | PR-133, PR-1, PR-3 | Parts of PR-578, PR-5507, PR-178, PR-182, PR-9910, PR-979, PR-194, PR-940, PR-193, PR-955, PR-187, PR-187R, PR-958, PR-9958, PR-9959, PR-874, PR-887 and PR-47 belong to original segments of this highway. |
| Route 4 | Route 3 in Guayama | Route 1 in Cayey | 26.0 (16.2) | PR-15 | |
| Route 5 | Route 22 in Comerío | Route 3 in Humacao | — | PR-156, PR-189, PR-198 | PR-7156 and PR-768 belong to original segments of this highway. |
| Route 6 | Route 1 in Ponce | Route 2 in Arecibo | 81.8 (50.8) | PR-123, PR-10 | PR-6609 and PR-6109 belong to an original segment of this highway. |
| Route 7 | Route 1 in Caguas | Route 5 in Las Piedras | 22.0 (13.7) | PR-183 | Parts of PR-9931, PR-181 and PR-980 belong to original segments of this highway. |
| Route 8 | Route 2 in Aguadilla | Route 6 in Adjuntas | 82.4 (51.2) | PR-111, PR-128, PR-135 | Parts of PR-1107 (formerly PR-111), PR-4443, PR-125, PR-125R, PR-4111 and PR-1111 belong to original segments of this highway. |
| Route 9 | Route 15 in Barranquitas | Route 2 in Bayamón | 43.5 (27.0) | PR-156, PR-167 | PR-839 belongs to an original segment of this highway. |
| Route 10 | Route 1 in Coamo | Route 2 in Dorado | — | PR-155, PR-568, PR-159, PR-165 | Parts of PR-5155, PR-891 and PR-165R belong to original segments of this highway. |
| Route 11 | Route 1 in Juana Díaz | Route 2 in Manatí | 67.4 (41.9) | PR-149 | Parts of PR-570, PR-519, PR-5550, PR-550, PR-589, PR-149R, PR-146 and PR-6685 belong to original segments of this highway. |
| Route 12 | Route 3 in Patillas | Route 7 in San Lorenzo | — | PR-181 | Part of PR-183 belongs to an original segment of this highway. |
| Route 13 | Route 8 in Lares | Route 2 in Arecibo | 33.6 (20.9) | PR-111, PR-129 | Parts of PR-1111 and PR-134 belong to original segments of this highway. |
| Route 14 | Route 35 in Mayagüez | Route 16 in Maricao | — | PR-106, PR-120, PR-105 | |
| Route 15 | Route 6 in Adjuntas | Route 1 in Aibonito | 60.6 (37.7) | PR-143, PR-140, PR-144, PR-141, PR-533, PR-157, PR-155, PR-156, PR-162 | The northern part of PR-5155 belongs to an original segment of this highway. This road was briefly interrupted by Route 11 in Ciales. |
| Route 16 | Route 2 in Yauco | Route 8 in Lares | 35.4 (22.0) | PR-128 | Parts of PR-375, PR-371 and PR-3372 belong to an original segment of this highway. |
| Route 17 | Route 13 in Lares | Route 15 in Jayuya | — | PR-111, PR-140 | PR-6111 belongs to an original segment of this highway. This road was briefly interrupted by Route 6 in Utuado. |
| Route 18 | Route 19 in Cabo Rojo | Route 2 in Cabo Rojo | 17.7 (11.0) | PR-307, PR-308, PR-103, PR-102 | |
| Route 19 | Barrio Boquerón in Cabo Rojo | Route 39 in Lajas | 10.0 (6.2) | PR-101 | |
| Route 20 | Route 11 in Ciales | Route 9 in Naranjito | 38.6 (24.0) | PR-633, PR-155, PR-159, PR-164 | Parts of PR-6633 and PR-149 belong to an original segment of this highway. This road was interrupted by Route 10 into two segments: one from Ciales to western Corozal and the other from eastern Corozal to Naranjito. |
| Route 21 | Baños de Coamo in Coamo | Route 1 in Coamo | 4.0 (2.5) | PR-546, PR-153 | |
| Route 22 | Route 9 in Comerío | Route 1 in Cidra | 22.5 (14.0) | PR-172, PR-787 | Part of PR-7167, PR-781 and PR-156 belong to an original segment of this highway. |
| Route 23 | Route 5 in Gurabo | Route 3 in San Juan | — | PR-181 | PR-943, PR-876 and PR-877 belong to original segments of this highway. |
| Route 24 | Route 2 in Bayamón | Barrio Pueblo in Cataño | 7.2 (4.5) | PR-5 | PR-890 belongs to an original segment of this highway. |
| Route 25 | Route 1 in Guaynabo | Route 24 in Cataño | 13.6 (8.5) | PR-20, PR-165 | PR-169, PR-19 and PR-24 belong to original segments of this highway. This road was briefly interrupted by Route 2 in San Patricio area. |
| Route 26 | Route 17 in Utuado | Route 2 in Barceloneta | — | PR-140 | |
| Route 27 | Route 2 in Mayagüez | Route 14 in Maricao | 26.0 (16.2) | PR-105 | |
| Route 28 | Route 5 in Juncos | Route 3 in Naguabo | 24.5 (15.2) | PR-31, PR-192 | |
| Route 29 | Route 18 in Cabo Rojo | Route 2 in San Germán | 7.4 (4.6) | PR-102, PR-317 | |
| Route 30 | Route 20 in Morovis | Route 2 in Vega Baja | 11.2 (7.0) | PR-155 | |
| Route 31 | Route 1 in Aibonito | Route 9 in Comerío | — | PR-173, PR-775, PR-740 | Part of PR-727 belongs to an original segment of this highway. |
| Route 32 | Route 3 in San Juan | Route 1 in San Juan | — | PR-27, PR-36 | |
| Route 33 | Route 13 in Hatillo | Route 2 in Hatillo | — | PR-130 | |
| Route 34 | Route 8 in San Sebastián | Route 2 in Camuy | — | PR-119 | |
| Route 35 | Route 2 in Mayagüez | Route 8 in San Sebastián | 41.8 (26.0) | PR-106, PR-119 | Formerly portion of Route 13 |
| Route 36 | Route 2 in Guayanilla | Route 2 in Ponce | 23.9 (14.9) | PR-127, PR-2, PR-2R | PR-591 and PR-5549 belong to original segments of this highway. |
| Route 37 | Route 18 in Cabo Rojo | Route 2 in Mayagüez | — | PR-102 | |
| Route 38 | Route 69 in Vieques | Barrio Puerto Diablo in Vieques | — | PR-200 | |
| Route 39 | Route 2 in San Germán | Route 2 in Yauco | 33.0 (20.5) | PR-101, PR-116 | PR-320, PR-315, PR-3116, PR-4116 and PR-326 (formerly PR-116R) belong to original segments of this highway. |
| Route 40 | Route 2 in Añasco | Route 8 in San Sebastián | — | PR-109 | |
| Route 41 | Route 1 in San Juan | Route 1 in San Juan | 6.5 (4.0) | PR-35 | Part of PR-1 and PR-16 belong to an original segment of this highway. |
| Route 42 | Route 10 in Toa Alta | Route 9 in Bayamón | 11.2 (7.0) | PR-861 | |
| Route 43 | Route 5 in Juncos | Route 3 in Canóvanas | — | PR-185 | PR-952 belongs to an original segment of this highway. |
| Route 44 | Route 3 in Canóvanas | Route 3 in Río Grande | — | PR-951, PR-187 | |
| Route 45 | Route 46 in San Juan | Route 2 in San Juan | — | PR-18, PR-41 | |
| Route 46 | Route 25 in San Juan | Route 1 in San Juan | 5.0 (3.1) | PR-21 | |
| Route 47 | Route 3 in Salinas | Route 1 in Cayey | — | PR-1, PR-170 | |
| Route 48 | Route 47 in Aibonito | Route 1 in Aibonito | — | PR-162 | |
| Route 49 | Route 1 in Cayey | Route 22 in Cidra | — | PR-171 | PR-7731 belongs to an original segment of this highway. |
| Route 50 | Route 2 in Mayagüez | Route 2 in San Germán | — | PR-348, PR-119 | Parts of PR-2, PR-360 and PR-347 belong to an original segment of this highway. |
| Route 51 | Route 1 in Ponce | Route 15 in Jayuya | — | PR-139, PR-143 | PR-139R belongs to an original segment of this highway. |
| Route 52 | Route 2 in Toa Baja | Playa de Sardinera in Dorado | — | PR-165, PR-6165, PR-693, PR-697 | PR-854 belongs to an original segment of this highway. |
| Route 53 | Route 2 in Dorado | Route 52 in Dorado | — | PR-693 | |
| Route 54 | Route 20 in Morovis | Route 2 in Vega Baja | — | PR-160 | |
| Route 55 | Route 2 in Arecibo | Route 96 in Barceloneta | — | PR-681 |
| Route 56 | Route 39 in Lajas | Route 2 in Sabana Grande | — | PR-117 | |
| Route 57 | Route 3 in Carolina | Route 1 in San Juan | — | PR-26 | Parts of PR-8887, PR-190 and PR-37 belong to original segments of this highway. |
| Route 58 | Route 43 in Carolina | Route 3 in Carolina | — | PR-853 | |
| Route 60 | Route 3 in Ceiba | Barrio Machos in Ceiba | — | Formerly PR-980 | Roosevelt Roads Naval Station |
| Route 61 | Route 3 in Juana Díaz | Route 1 in Juana Díaz | 6.6 (4.1) | PR-149 | PR-592 belongs to an original segment of this highway. |
| Route 62 | Route 4 in Guayama | Route 1 in Cidra | — | PR-179, PR-184 | PR-7736 belongs to an original segment of this highway. |
| Route 63 | Route 5 in Aguas Buenas | Route 2 in Bayamón | — | PR-174 | Part of PR-5 belongs to an original segment of this highway. |
| Route 64 | Route 8 in Adjuntas | Route 13 in Lares | — | PR-129 | |
| Route 65 | Route 11 in Villalba | Route 10 in Orocovis | — | PR-150, PR-151, PR-143 | |
| Route 67 | Route 23 in Trujillo Alto | Route 23 in Trujillo Alto | — | PR-175, PR-846 | |
| Route 68 | Route 34 in Camuy | Route 2 in Quebradillas | — | PR-113 | |
| Route 69 | Route 38 in Vieques | Route 38 in Vieques | — | PR-201 | |
| Route 70 | Barrio Punta Arenas in Vieques | Route 38 in Vieques | — | PR-200 | |
| Route 73 | Route 2 in Añasco | Route 40 in Añasco | — | PR-402 | |
| Route 75 | Route 11 in Manatí | Route 30 in Vega Baja | — | PR-643 | |
| Route 77 | Route 3 in Santa Isabel | Route 21 in Coamo | — | PR-153 | |
| Route 78 | Route 2 in Hormigueros | Route 50 in Mayagüez | — | PR-309, PR-344 | |
| Route 80 | Route 2 in Peñuelas | Route 8 in Adjuntas | — | PR-386, PR-131 | This road was interrupted between Peñuelas and Adjuntas. |
| Route 81 | Route 2 in Sabana Grande | Route 27 in Maricao | — | PR-120 | |
| Route 82 | Route 2 in Hormigueros | Route 2 in Hormigueros | — | PR-319, PR-309, PR-343 | |
| Route 85 | Route 35 in Mayagüez | Route 40 in Añasco | — | PR-108 | |
| Route 92 | Route 35 in Las Marías | Barrio Buena Vista in Las Marías | — | PR-124, PR-370 | |
| Route 93 | Route 92 in Las Marías | Route 8 in Lares | — | PR-124 | |
| Route 96 | Route 2 in Barceloneta | Route 2 in Barceloneta | — | PR-140 | PR-6140 belongs to an original segment of this highway. |
| Route 98 | Cerro Maravilla in Ponce | Route 11 in Orocovis | — | PR-577, PR-143 | |
| Route 100 | Route 15 in Orocovis | Route 20 in Morovis | — | PR-155 | |
| Route 102 | Route 10 in Orocovis | Route 15 in Barranquitas | — | PR-143, PR-720 | |
| Route 103 | Route 11 in Villalba | Route 10 in Coamo | — | PR-150 | |
| Route 104 | Route 77 in Coamo | Route 47 in Salinas | — | PR-154 | |
| Route 107 | Route 31 in Cidra | Route 22 in Cidra | — | PR-173 | |
| Route 109 | Route 5 in Aguas Buenas | Route 1 in Guaynabo | — | PR-173 | |
| Route 110 | Route 1 in Caguas | Route 67 in Trujillo Alto | — | PR-175 | |
| Route 111 | Route 7 in San Lorenzo | Route 5 in Gurabo | — | PR-181 | |
| Route 112 | Route 28 in Naguabo | Route 3 in Río Grande | — | PR-191 | El Yunque National Forest |