Ecuador
Ecuador - 2.3 Road Network
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Ecuador has a total of  43,200 km of roads. The State Road Network (Red Vial Estatal) is made up of primary and secondary roads. The set of primary and secondary roads are the main roads that register the highest vehicular traffic, interconnects the provincial capitals, canton capitals, international border ports with or without customs and large and medium centers of economic activity. The total length of the State Road Network (including primary and secondary roads) is approximately 10,300 km of road.

 

Ecuador Road Inventory (kms)

 

Coast

Highlands

Amazon

Islands

Total

Paved

 4,040

  3,628

  478

  15

  8,161

Gravel

 6,665

12,405

3,816

169

23,055

Dirt

 5,787

  6,020

  177

   0

11,984

Total

16,492

22,053

4,471

184

43,200

Distance Matrix

Distances from Capital City to Major Towns (km)

 

Quito

Ambato

Cuenca

Guayaquil

Manta

Tulcán

Esmeraldas

Quito

 

111

432

390

362

239

300

Ambato

111

 

321

277

358

381

371

Cuenca  

432

321

 

191

392

702

654

Guayaquil 

390

277

191

 

180

659

447

Loja 

640

529

207

398

597

909

861

Manta 

362

358

392

180

 

631

371

Tulcán 

239

381

702

659

631

 

395

Esmeraldas

300

371

654

502

371

395

 

Travel Time from Capital City to Major Towns

 

Quito

Ambato

Cuenca

Guayaquil

Manta

Tulcán

Esmeraldas

Quito

 

02h23

07h41

07h22

06h44

04h24

05h14

Ambato

02h23

 

04h13

05h08

04h57

04h50

05h07

Cuenca 

07h41

04h13

 

03h28

5h19

11h22

08h22

Guayaquil 

07h22

05h08

03h28

 

03h17

07h55

07h28

Loja 

10h58

07h40

03h30

05h41

08h14

11h11

12h11

Manta 

06h44

04h57

5h19

03h17

 

08h22

05h21

Tulcán 

04h24

07h55

11h22

07h55

08h22

 

05h43

Esmeraldas

05h14

05h07

08h22

07h28

05h21

05h43

 

Road Security

Although some of Ecuador’s roads and highways have greatly improved in recent years, road travel throughout Ecuador can still be dangerous, especially at night. Rural roads are often unpaved, generally in poor condition or affected by heavy rains and mudslides. Mountain roads may lack safety features such as crash barriers or guard rails, and conditions are frequently made more treacherous by heavy fog. Highways are often unmarked and unlit, and do not have signs indicating destinations. In addition, slow-moving buses and trucks frequently stop in the middle of the road unexpectedly. In the countryside, livestock is often herded along roads or grazes on roadsides. Lacking sidewalks, many roads are also used by pedestrians Driving in Ecuador can be a confusing experience for foreigners used to drive in Europe or the United States. In provincial areas, traffic laws are rarely enforced, and drivers tend to ignore posted signs and lights. However, the road systems in major cities are usually orderly and well planned, although fraught with traffic congestion.

Weighbridges and Axle Load Limits

There are currently no operational weighbridges in Ecuador. 

Axle Load Limits

Ecuador

Colombia

Perú

Truck with 2 Axles

18 MT

18 MT

18 MT

Truck with 3 Axles

27 MT

27 MT

27 MT

Truck with 4 Axles

32 MT

32 MT

32 MT

Semi-trailer with 3 Axles

27 MT

27 MT

27 MT

Semi-trailer with 4 Axles

31 MT

31 MT

31 MT

Semi-trailer with 5 Axles

47 MT

47 MT

47 MT

Semi-trailer with 6 Axles

48 MT

48 MT

48 MT

Truck & Drawbar Trailer with 4 Axles

N/A

N/A

N/A

Truck & Drawbar Trailer with 5 Axles

N/A

N/A

N/A

Truck & Drawbar Trailer with 6 Axles

N/A

N/A

N/A

Truck & Drawbar Trailer with 7 Axles

N/A

N/A

N/A

Road Class and Surface Conditions

Ecuador – Road Classification

Classification

Road Description

Class A

Primary Roads: International trunk roads linking international boundaries, international ports or provincial capitals

Class B

Secondary Roads:  Recollection of traffic from rural or urban area and linking it to the Primary Roads

Class C

Tertiary Roads and local tracks: They connect Parishes and production areas to the National Road Network

Source: Arqº María de los Angeles Duarte, Ministerio de transportes y Obras Públicas

An important route, the Pan-American highway, crosses the country from North to South from Tulcán (in the border with Colombia) to Macará (in the border with Peru), completing a route of 1,397 kilometers throughout the Andean mountains; it is the main artery of communication in the country, as well as with the neighboring countries. Since 2008, GoE directed its effort on road maintenance. In addition to this action, the administration and maintenance of the main roads are currently concessioned to private companies, resulting in a very good condition of primary roads throughout the country.

 North-South route Bogotá - Quito - Lima

The Ecuadorian section is asphalted and has sections on rigid pavement, having the character of a toll highway in some sections, having from two lanes in each direction, with the usual sections having three lanes in each direction from the border with Colombia to Otavalo, and up to five at the entrance to the Metropolitan District of Quito from the north; Between the Quito and Riobamba routes there are three lanes in each direction, as well as from the border between the Cañar and Azuay provinces to the south of Cuenca, between the Azogues and Cuenca routes.

The Pan-American Highway is not a single great work or megaproject in the style of the Trans-Siberian railway, but a multitude of roads from different countries and characteristics connected to each other. However, almost a century after its conception, it is almost complete, and extends from the state of Alaska (United States) in North America to the city of Quellon, Chiloe (Chile) in South America, passing through the cities of Mexico City. (Mexico), Guatemala City (Guatemala), San Salvador (El Salvador), Cali (Colombia), Quito (Ecuador), Lima (Peru) and Los Andes (Chile) originally.

 

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