Ruta 40, Santa Cruz Province, Patagonia, Argentina, South America

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• published: 07 Feb 2014
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National Route 40 or RN40, often called Ruta 40 even in English texts, is a route in western Argentina, stretching from Punta Loyola near Rio Gallegos in Santa Cruz Province in the south to La Quiaca in Jujuy Province in the north, running parallel to the Andes mountains. The southern part of the route, a largely unpaved road through sparsely populated territory, has become a well-known adventure tourism journey, although it is now planned to pave the whole road. Route 40 is the longest route in Argentina and one of the largest in the world (along with the U.S. Route 66 and the Stuart Highway in Australia -without counting the unofficial Panamerican Highway), more than 5,000 km (3,107 mi) long. At its traditional southern end near the city of Río Gallegos it starts at sea level, crosses 20 national parks, 18 major rivers, 27 passes on the Andes, and goes up to 5,000 m (16,404 ft) above sea level in Abra del Acay in Salta. The road crosses the provinces of Santa Cruz, Chubut, Río Negro, Neuquen, Mendoza, San Juan, La Rioja, Catamarca, Tucumán, Salta and Jujuy. From Mendoza RN40 continues south to Pareditas, Malargüe, Chos Malal and Zapala. It takes a route to the east of Bariloche to El Maitén and a junction with RN258 at Leleque. It then passes near Esquel and continues by Tecka, José de San Martín and Alto Río Senguer to a junction with the RN43 at the town of Perito Moreno. The road then enters the most remote part of its route. 124 km south of Perito Moreno is a junction with a side road to Cueva de las Manos, and 3 km further is the tiny settlement of Bajo Caracoles (population 100). After a further 101 km there is a junction with a road to Perito Moreno National Park, but no habitation apart from a police station and later an estancia until the small town of Tres Lagos, some 235 km further south. From Tres Lagos the road is paved to a junction 32 km east of El Calafate and another junction at El Cerrito, where RN40 leaves the main highway to Rio Gallegos. The route then takes a roundabout route to Rio Gallegos through the town of 28 de Noviembre, where it turns east to follow the valley of the Gallegos River. It reaches the Atlantic coast at Punta Loyola, at the mouth of the Gallegos River 36 km from Rio Gallegos. Since the beginning of its construction in 1935, the route has changed several times. On 24 November 2004 the Argentine national directorate of highways (Dirección Nacional de Vialidad) promulgated Resolution 1.748/04 which changed the milestone markings and placed the "zero" kilometer stone at the new southernmost extreme of the road, at Cabo Virgenes, near the Straits of Magellan.[6] Since as of January 2009 there was no actual roadway constructed between the new marker location at Cabo Virgenes and Punta Loyola (near Río Gallegos) the provisional driving starting point as of early 2009 was at the KM 100 location. Before 2004, Route 40 was divided into "Ruta 40 Sur" (south) and "Ruta 40 Norte"(north) with the earlier "traditional" zero-km starting point at the intersection of San Martín and Garibaldi streets in the city of Mendoza, in Mendoza province. That zero-km marker was subsequently moved to the eastern access point of that city, at the intersection of Route 7 and Gob Avenue. Ricardo Videla (also known as Avenida Costanera). The intent of new legislation and remarking of roadways will move the traditional northern terminus of Route 40 to the frontier with Bolivia near the location of Ciénaga de Paicone. Incorporation of sections of other highways into Route 40, along with paving, is part of an Argentine government initiative to promote national tourism, drawing upon the legendary and some say mythical attraction attached to Route 40. The attraction is actually international in scope, and many websites throughout the world advertise the private and commercial adventures associated with travel on this roadway. There are a number of internationally important sites along this route, such as Cueva de las Manos, which contains cave art dating back some 13,000 years, Los Glaciares National Park, the second largest National Park in Argentina, and the Calchaquí Valleys.