Completed new freeway to the beach

The new freeway to the beach was inaugurated on 24 November 2007. With the latest stretch now opened, it is today possible to drive from all the way from Caracas to the Barlovento coast on "autopista."

The latest stretch of freeway was completed from Caucagua to Higuerote, which is the next town over from Rio Chico (and visible from Isla de Oro), just West of Rio Chico on the coast.

The section that was inaugurated in November 2007 is part of the "Autopista Oriente" and is the part that goes all the way out to the Higuerote beach near Isla de Oro.

With the new freeway now opened, there are no longer any bottlenecks for visitors to/from Caracas as they can now reach the coast by freeway all the way. Construction of this final 53 kilometer stretch was initiated in November 2005 and completed in two years.

Earlier in 2007 a section to Caucagua was also opened. With the two stages now done, driving time has been reduced from over 2 hours to now approximately half of that.

The freeway itself goes to Higuerote. A coastal road is planned from Higuerote to Rio Chico, to follow the beach. Currently this road is not opened, so you must go inland via a longer route that takes you through Tacarigua and Mampote.

The new coastal road, "La Costera", is in the construction stage. All land has currently been acquired, and the government has been moving soil and constructing some bridges. Part of the road - on the Higuerote side - is also finished with asphalt. There is little progress on the Rio Chico side, however, so it is too early to estimate when it will be in place. But when it is finished, Isla de Oro will be just 10 minutes driving time from the Higuerote airport. (Currently, driving time is approximately twice that.)

MORE INFORMATION:
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