National road 1 shield}}
National road 1
Route nationale 1
Route national 1 in blue
RN1cayenne2.jpg
Route nationale 1 near Cayenne
Route information
Length258 km (160 mi)
Major junctions
West endCayenne
Major intersections
East end Albina
Location
CountryFrance
Overseas regionFrench Guiana
DepartmentGuyane
Highway system

Route nationale 1 (RN1) is a highway in French Guiana, an overseas region and department of France in South America. The highway connects Cayenne with Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni and measures 258 kilometres (160 mi).[1] The highway is the busiest road of French Guiana.[2]

Overview

In 1863, road construction started on Route Coloniale 1 to connect Cayenne with Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni. The road was built by prisoners of the penal colony. Many prisoners died during the construction.[3] In 1970s, the section connecting Kourou with Sinnamary was rerouted for the construction of the Guiana Space Centre.[4] In 1999, the road between Balata and Maringouins was widened to a 2x2 lanes dual carriageway.[5] In 2014, a grade-separated intersection with Route nationale 2 to Saint-Georges was opened.[6] The busiest section is in Cayenne where 44,543 vehicles per day used the road in 2010.[2]

Route

The highways begins in Cayenne. In Balata, Matoury, there is an intersection with Route National 2.[6] The road continues to Kourou, makes a detour around the Guiana Space Centre, and continues to Sinnamary, Iracoubo, and finally ends in Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni.[4] In Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni there is a ferry to Albina, Suriname.[7]

Future plans

There are plans for a bridge connecting Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni with Albina. The bridge was on the agenda in a ministerial meeting between France and Suriname in November 2020.[8] An interesting part about the bridge is that Suriname uses left-hand drive while French Guiana uses right-hand drive.[9]

References

  1. ↑ "Entretien courant de chaussée sur la RN1 et RN2". NouMa (in French). Retrieved 19 March 2021.
  2. 1 2 Ministère de l'Écologie, du Développement durable, des Transports et du Logement (2010). "La sécurité routière en Guyane" (PDF) (in French). Retrieved 19 March 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. ↑ "Miam-miam aux îles du Salut". Atelier de Creation Libertaire (in French). Retrieved 19 March 2021.
  4. 1 2 "Le réseau routier national de la Guyane". DEAL Guyane (in French). Retrieved 19 March 2021.
  5. ↑ "Loi de finances pour 2001 - Section 2c". National Assembly of France (in French). Retrieved 19 March 2021.
  6. 1 2 "L'échangeur de Balata ouvert et inauguré aujourd'hui". France Guyane (in French). Retrieved 19 March 2021.
  7. ↑ "Transport". Ministry of Transport, Suriname (in Dutch). Retrieved 19 March 2021.
  8. ↑ "'Er komt ook een brug over de Marowijnerivier tussen Suriname en Frans-Guyana'". Waterkant (in Dutch). Retrieved 19 March 2021.
  9. ↑ "Compilation of Foreign Motor Vehicle Import Requirements" (PDF). United States Department of Commerce International Trade Administration Office of Transportation and Machinery. December 2015. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
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