National Route 3 (Argentina)
Ruta Nacional 3 is an Argentine highway on that runs north-south on the eastern side of the country, between the capital and the southernmost part of the country. It starts at Avenida General Paz in Buenos Aires, crosses the provinces of Buenos Aires, Río Negro, Chubut, Santa Cruz, ending at the bridge over Lapataia River in Tierra del Fuego. It is long.
The road is interrupted between km 2674 and 2696 by the Magellan Strait, which forces access between Santa Cruz and Tierra del Fuego Provinces through Chile, over Ruta CH-255 and Ruta CH-257, paved north of the strait and paved and treated south of it. The Magellan Strait itself is crossed by a ferry where it is wide, taking twenty minutes.
National Decree 1931 of 3 August 1983 named the part of the road south of National Route 22 Comandante Luis Piedrabuena.
Cities
These are the main cities and towns joined by this route, North to South. In the provinces of Santa Cruz and Tierra del Fuego towns under 5,000 inhabitants are marked in italics.Buenos Aires Province
Length: .- La Matanza Partido: San Justo, Isidro Casanova, Gregorio de Laferrere, González Catán, Virrey del Pino.
- Marcos Paz Partido: no towns over 5,000 people.
- Cañuelas Partido: Cañuelas.
- Monte Partido: San Miguel del Monte
- General Belgrano Partido: no towns over 5,000 people.
- Las Flores Partido: Las Flores.
- Azul Partido: Azul.
- Benito Juárez Partido: Benito Juárez.
- Adolfo Gonzales Chaves Partido: Adolfo Gonzales Chaves.
- Tres Arroyos Partido: Tres Arroyos.
- Coronel Dorrego Partido: Coronel Dorrego.
- Coronel Rosales Partido: no towns over 5,000 people.
- Bahía Blanca Partido: access to Port of Ingeniero White over National Route 252, Bahía Blanca, access to General Daniel Cerri.
- Villarino Partido: no towns over 5,000 people.
- Patagones Partido: Carmen de Patagones.
Río Negro Province
Length:- Adolfo Alsina Department: Viedma.
- San Antonio Department: access to San Antonio Oeste and Sierra Grande.
Chubut Province
Length:- Biedma Department: access to Puerto Madryn.
- Rawson Department: Trelew and access to Rawson.
- Gaiman Department: no towns over 5,000 people.
- Florentino Ameghino Department: no towns over 5,000 people.
- Escalante Department: Comodoro Rivadavia and Rada Tilly.
Santa Cruz Province
Length:- Deseado Department: Caleta Olivia.
- Magallanes Department: access to Puerto San Julián.
- Corpen Aike Department: Comandante Luis Piedrabuena.
- Güer Aike Department: Río Gallegos.
- Chilean border: Route 255 .
Tierra del Fuego Province
Length: .- Hito 1 .
- Río Grande Department: access to San Sebastián, Río Grande and Tolhuin.
- Ushuaia Department: Ushuaia.
Tolls
In 1990 administration and maintenance of the most-travelled roads was transferred to private companies, with rights to collect tolls dividing the areas in "Corredores Viales". "Servicios de Mantenimiento de Carreteras" company, took charge of Corridor number 1, which includes Route 3 between km markers 19 and 677, in Buenos Aires Province, from the joining with Provincial Route 4 in San Justo to Bahía Blanca, with tolls collected in Cañuelas, Azul and Tres Arroyos.,In 2003 the concession contracts expired, which led to a modification of corridor numbers and a call for a new public bid. Corridor Vial number 1 was given to "Empresa Rutas al Sur" and runs from km marker 62 to 677 which corresponds to the crossing of Provincial Route 6 in Cañuelas until it joins in.