Route description

The highway runs from San Juan

San Juan, Puerto Rico

San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...

, the largest city in Puerto Rico, located on the north coast to Ponce

Ponce, Puerto Rico

Ponce is both a city and a municipality in the southern part of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government.The city of Ponce, the fourth most populated in Puerto Rico, and the most populated outside of the San Juan metropolitan area, is named for Juan Ponce de León y Loayza, the...

, the second largest, on the south coast, via Caguas

Caguas, Puerto Rico

Caguas , founded in 1775, is a city and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the Central Mountain Range of Puerto Rico, south of San Juan and Trujillo Alto, west of Gurabo and San Lorenzo, east of Aguas Buenas, Cidra, and Cayey....

, Cayey

Cayey, Puerto Rico

Cayey is a mountain town in central Puerto Rico located on the Central Mountain range, north of Salinas and Guayama; south of Cidra and Caguas; east of Aibonito and Salinas; and west of San Lorenzo Cayey is spread over 21 wards and Cayey Pueblo...

, Aibonito

Aibonito, Puerto Rico

Aibonito is a small mountain town in Puerto Rico located in the Mountain range of Cayey, north of Salinas; south of Barranquitas and Comerio; east of Coamo; and west of Cidra, and Cayey. Aibonito is spread over 8 wards and Aibonito Pueblo...

, Coamo

Coamo, Puerto Rico

Coamo is a municipality in Puerto Rico located in the southern region, north of Santa Isabel; south of Orocovis and Barranquitas; east of Villalba and Juana Díaz; and west of Aibonito and Salinas. Coamo is spread over 10 wards and Coamo Pueblo...

, and Juana Diaz

Juana Díaz, Puerto Rico

Juana Díaz is a municipality of Puerto Rico located in the southern coast of the island, south of Jayuya, Ciales, Orocovis and Villalba; east of Ponce; and west of Coamo and Santa Isabel and the Caribbean Sea to the south. Juana Díaz is spread over 12 wards and Juana Diaz Pueblo...

. The highway corridor is now designated as Puerto Rico Highway 14

Puerto Rico Highway 14

Puerto Rico Highway 14 is a main highway connecting Cayey, Puerto Rico to Ponce, Puerto Rico. The road uses the same path as the historic old Carretera Central.-Road description:...

 from Ponce to Cayey and part of Puerto Rico Highway 1

Puerto Rico Highway 1

Puerto Rico Highway 1 connects the city of Ponce to San Juan. Leaving Ponce, the road follows somewhat parallel along the southern coast of the island and, at Salinas, it turns north to cut through the Cordillera Central in its approach to San Juan....

 from Cayey to San Juan, although various sections of the original road have since been bypassed by the modern highways.

History

Functional by 1886, it was the first highway to cross Puerto Rico's east–west mountain range, the Cordillera Central.

In 1886, it was a 134 kilometres (83.3 mi) route with 13 permanent bridges and 33 "casillas de camineros" (housing for road maintenance technicians).

The Arenas Bridge

Arenas Bridge

The Arenas Bridge between the municipalities of Cayey and Cidra, is a truss bridge built in 1894. Also known as Puente Rio La Plata, it was the longest bridge constructed in Puerto Rico during the Spanish colonial period. It crosses the Rio de la Plata, the longest river in Puerto Rico. ...

, constructed in 1894 to bring the Carretera Central across the Rio de la Plata

Rio de la Plata (Puerto Rico)

The Rio de la Plata is the longest river in the island of Puerto Rico. It is located in the north coast of the island. It flows from south to north, and drains into the Atlantic Ocean about 11 miles west of San Juan...

, was the longest bridge constructed in Puerto Rico under Spanish government.

In 1898, during the Spanish-American War

Spanish-American War

The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...

, American forces moved from south to north over the Carretara Central. One bridge was demolished by the Spanish to delay the American advance.