Circuito Interior

Summary

The Circuito Interior Bicentenario ("Bicentennial Inner Loop") or more commonly, Circuito Interior or even more simply Circuito, is a 42-km-long (26 mi) urban freeway (in parts) and at-grade boulevard (in others), forming a loop around the central neighborhoods of Mexico City. It was built starting in 1961.[1] The Circuito Interior received the appellation Bicentenario (Bicentennial) after a renovation that took place in 2010, Mexico's bicentennial year.

Map of the Circuito Interior's route around the central city
Circuito at Avenida Chapultepec
Circuito Interior.

History edit

In 1951, 8 km (5 mi) of the Río Consulado river's course between the Monumento a la Raza and Mexico City Airport was put underground and the route was opened as a highway. Regent Ernesto P. Uruchurtu decided upon the routing underground of more stretches of the rivers Río Consulado, Río Churubusco and Río de la Piedad. An 18-km (11.2 mi) route was completed in 1961. In 1974, the Circuito was extended to the south and west, which according to sources at the time resolved 50% of the intersections with severe traffic congestion, with the support of the additional controlled-access roads Río San Joaquin and Parque Vía, together with the construction of the feeder roads Tacuba, Los Hongos and Chapultepec.[2] Its eastern and western parts were finished in 1976.

Section names edit

Along its course, each section of the Circuito has a specific name:

  • Boulevard Puerto Aéreo (from Norte 184 to Avenida Fray Servando Teresa de Mier)
  • Avenida Río Consulado (from Norte 184 to Insurgentes Norte)
  • Paseo de las Jacarandas (from Insurgentes Norte to Ricardo Flores Magón)
  • Avenida Instituto Técnico Industrial (from Ricardo Flores Magón to Ribera de San Cosme)
  • Calzada Melchor Ocampo (from Ribera de San Cosme to Paseo de la Reforma)
  • Maestro José Vasconcelos (from Paseo de la Reforma to Eje 4 Sur Benjamín Franklin)
  • Avenida Revolución (southbound) and Avenida Patriotismo (northbound) (from Eje 4 Sur Benjamín Franklin to Molinos)
  • Avenida Río Mixcoac (from Molinos to Insurgentes Sur)
  • Avenida Río Churubusco (from Insurgentes Sur to Viaducto Río de la Piedad)
  • Avenida Jesús Galindo y Villa (from Viaducto Río de la Piedad to the junction with Avenida Fray Servando Teresa de Mier)

References edit

  1. ^ Arturo Páramo (June 3, 2011). "Circuito Interior una arteria que cumple hoy 50 años" [Circuito Interior, an artery that is 50 years old today]. Excélsior (in Spanish). Retrieved September 11, 2011.
  2. ^ Espinosa López, Enrique. Ciudad de México, compendio de su desarrollo urbano, 1521-2000 [Mexico City, Compendium of its Urban Development, 1521-2000]. México, D.F.: Direccion General de Publicaciones IPN. ISBN 970-36-0065-4.