Are there any official sources available on the web (e.g., from the Spanish Formento or the autonomous governments) that clarify which highways are part of the autovia/autopista highway system and which are lesser roads?
Spain uses a prefix system in their designations that doesn't always make the distinction obvious, particularly among the highways with autonomous community or urban designations. So I can't look for something like an Interstate shield or an elongated autobahn hexagon to make the distinction. In Spain, is it the background color that makes the distinction (blue is in, other colors are out)? Or is there an official list (e.g., not the sourceless Spanish Wikipedia list) or map showing which expressways and freeways are part of the official Spanish autovia/pista system?
Use Viamichelin (http://www.viamichelin.com) Their maps are accurate. There is about 13,500 kilometers of Autovía/Autopista in Spain, which translates to 8,400 miles, making the Spanish freeway-standard network the 3rd longest in the world.
Spain made substantial progress from the 90's into the 2000's to reconstruct many Carretera nacionales (National roads) to freeway standards, most of them being toll free. The country has overtaken Germany and France in recent years to become the 3rd longest network in the world. France and Germany are building new freeways at a much slower rate than Spain did. Similar progress happened in Portugal.
Madrid probably has the best freeway network of any city in Europe; a dozen of radial freeways, plus 3 beltways.
Spanish direction signing standards (Norma 8.1-IC):
http://www.boe.es/boe/dias/2000/01/29/pdfs/A04049-04106.pdf (http://www.boe.es/boe/dias/2000/01/29/pdfs/A04049-04106.pdf)
Autopistas and autovías now share blue background color, although the entry signs are different (autopistas get chopsticks, while autovías get a perspective drawing of a four-lane divided highway). Everything else gets white background.
Here's a decent thread on the Madrid freeway system:
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=367380 (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=367380)
I just found out the first (of 4) ring road of Madrid is the busiest in Europe.
The M-30 carries 312,000 AADT between M-23 and Calle de Alcalá
Google Earth printscreen:
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi46.tinypic.com%2Fjgldnc.jpg&hash=b08f7435a07730ce30fc01085a33eea16422590d)
There are currently about 1,200 kilometers of new Autovía under construction.
I made this list using the Spanish wikipedia (Red de Carreteras de España only, not autonomous or provincial Autovías/Autopistas)
A-2: Tordes - Caldes de Malavella: 24 kilometer
A-2: Medinya - Bascara: 3 kilometer
A-7: San Pedro de Alcántara - Puerto Banús: 5 kilometer
A-7: Almuñecar - Guadalfeo: 11 kilometer
A-7: A-44 - Castell de Ferro: 22 kilometer
A-7: Castillo de Baños - Albuñol: 15 kilometer
A-7: Alcoi-Norte - Albaida: 19 kilometer
A-7: Puebla Tornesa - Villanueva de Alcolea: 18 kilometer
A-7: L'Hospitalet de l'Infant - Vandellós: 8 kilometer
A-7: Abrera - Terrassa: 16 kilometer
A-8: Solares - La Encina: 14 kilometer
A-8: La Encina - Torrelavega: 15 kilometer -
A-8: Unquera - Llanes: 23 kilometer -
A-8: Muros de Nalón - Las Dueñas: 8 kilometer
A-8: Navia - Tapia: 12 kilometer
A-8: Barreiros - Villalba: 52 kilometer
A-11: La Mallona - Venta Nueva: 21 kilometer
A-11: El Burgo de Osma - Aranda de Duero: 59 kilometer
A-11: Zamora - Ronda norte de Zamora: 6 kilometer
A-14: Lleida - Roselló: 6 kilometer
A-14: Roselló - Almenar: 10 kilometer
A-15: Medinaceli - Almazán: 42 kilometer
A-21: Izco - Venta de Judas: 7 kilometer
A-21: Yesa - Tiermas: 11 kilometer
A-21: Sigüés - Fago: 8 kilometer
A-21: Puente de Reina de Jaca - Jaca: 16 kilometer
A-22: Siétamo - Ponzano: 21 kilometer
A-22: El Pueyo - Monzón-Oeste: 11 kilometer
A-22: Monzón-Este - Almacellas: 35 kilometer
A-23: Nueno - Sabiñánigo-Este: 40 kilometer
A-23: Sabiñánigo-Oeste - Jaca: 10 kilometer
A-27: El Morell - Montblanc: 22 kilometer
A-32: Linares - Puente de Génave: 127 kilometer
A-33: Blanca (A-30) - Jumilla: 31 kilometer
A-33: Caudete (A-31) - La Fuente de Higuera
A-38: Sollana - Sueca-Norte: 8 kilometer
A-38: Cullera - Favara: 10 kilometer
A-38: Xeresa - Gandía: 3 kilometer
A-38: Benissa-Norte - Benissa-Sur: 4 kilometer
A-38: Benidorm-Este - Villajoyosa: 8 kilometer
A-38: Guardamar del Segura - Pilar de Horadada: 36 kilometer
A-40: Torrijos - Toledo: 13 kilometer
A-40: Villarrubia de Santiago - Carracosca: 47 kilometer
AP-46: Málaga - Antequera: 25 kilometer
A-54: Palas de Rei - Lugo: 42 kilometer
A-54: Labacolla - Arzua-Oeste: 19 kilometer
A-56: San Martiño - Barrela: 10 kilometer
A-56: Chantada - Narón: 21 kilometer
A-60: Santas Martas - León: 27 kilometer
A-63: Grado - La Espina: 24 kilometer
A-73: Burgos - Quintillana de Vivar: ? km
A-73: Montorio - Aguilar de Campo: ? km
A-75: A-52 - Portugal: 11 kilometer
Noted.
I also made a calculation of the current and future Spanish freeway-grade road network.
Spanish roads can be under several authorities, freeways mainly the Spanish state, autonomous community, or the local city government (mostly bigger cities).
There are currently about 13,400 kilometers of freeway (~8,300 miles), making it the 3rd largest in the world after the United States and China.
There is more underway, all completed, under construction, planned and studied freeways total 21,000 kilometers together (~13,000 miles), securing Spain's position of having the 3rd largest freeway network in the world.
Germany and France each have about 12,000 kilometers (~7,500 miles), but are growing very slowly compared to Spain. The only other countries capable of getting into the 10,000 kilometer range within the next 10 - 15 years are Mexico, Brazil and India.
Hmm. Those three countries will be good ones to watch. Brazil already looked promising, but I wasn't sure to what its scope would be.
Now if Russia were to get on the ball...
The traffic counts between Russian cities are miniscule, there is no need for a freeway!
Yet.
But yeah, there's no current need for a major motorway network in Russia.
Or continuing this discussion of non-Spanish roads... (AlpsROADS)
If Alps has revived the Italian autostrade thread, then I can do so with this one since it's about the roads of my country :sombrero:. Currently I'd like to clinch every damn 1st level regional road in Aragon (my region, in Northeastern Spain), which for some reason are labelled A-xxx despite being regular roads, not expressways (I'll write another post about our weird numbering system, it's even worse than the Canadian one). In the last few months I've taken down A-124 and A-122 from my to-do list, actually I had most of the latter clinched in my first true roadtrip back in Easter except the last few miles that are practically parallel with A-2 which only got when I had to go further down the (recently rebuilt to newer standards) expressway.
Quote from: CNGL-Leudimin on July 14, 2014, 06:36:09 AMCurrently I'd like to clinch every damn 1st level regional road in Aragon (my region, in Northeastern Spain), which for some reason are labelled A-xxx despite being regular roads, not expressways (I'll write another post about our weird numbering system, it's even worse than the Canadian one).
Canada has a numbering system?
Quote from: webfil on July 18, 2014, 08:02:58 PM
Quote from: CNGL-Leudimin on July 14, 2014, 06:36:09 AMCurrently I'd like to clinch every damn 1st level regional road in Aragon (my region, in Northeastern Spain), which for some reason are labelled A-xxx despite being regular roads, not expressways (I'll write another post about our weird numbering system, it's even worse than the Canadian one).
Canada has a numbering system?
The Autoroutes do.
Quote from: 1 on July 18, 2014, 09:14:45 PM
Quote from: webfil on July 18, 2014, 08:02:58 PM
Quote from: CNGL-Leudimin on July 14, 2014, 06:36:09 AMCurrently I'd like to clinch every damn 1st level regional road in Aragon (my region, in Northeastern Spain), which for some reason are labelled A-xxx despite being regular roads, not expressways (I'll write another post about our weird numbering system, it's even worse than the Canadian one).
Canada has a numbering system?
The Autoroutes do.
That's just Quebec. Ontario uses the 400-series plus the QEW. There is no national Canadian route numbering system.
Hi there from Spain!
This old photo of the Despeñaperros mountain pass that shows that yellow center lines were used in Spain before the 80's:
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FqzJiAsx.jpg&hash=8062abcf96e00d68a335c917f4155984306d84bb)