NEW PUBLIC WORKS PROJECTS
OF THE BATISTA REGIME
[GENTE
Magazine, Vol. 1, Havana, January 5, 1958, No. 1, American
Edition]
Page 43
PHOTO CAPTION
- Havana's Fifth
Avenue is one of the lovelier thoroughfares of the Western
Hemisphere. Beautification of the spacious avenue
has been
supervised the Cuban Public Works Ministry. A
gorgeous rotunda
has been constructed in front of the Havana Yacht Club at
the juncture
of several suburban highways.
NEW PUBLIC WORKS PROJECTS
OF THE BATISTA REGIME
Recent years have seen a notable increase in both public and
private
construction. Thousands of pesos have been invested in
the
construction of new residential areas, many of them for
persons in
medium or lower income brackets, and in new apartment
buildings.
The government building program also has grown at great
speed in recent
years. From one end of the island to the other,
government -
sponsored public works projects have grown up at a fast
rate.
This vast government program owes much of its success to
President
Fulgencio Batista, who has been abbetted [abetted] in
his
untiring efforts by the skilled technicians of Cuba's Public
Works
Ministry.
Extensive highways have been constructed across the island
from north
to south and from east to west. The high-grade
building materials
used on these
Page 44
PHOTO
CAPTION - What was until
recently a neglected roadway with grass growing in a wide
boulevard of
unusual beauty. Today Linea Avenue is held up as
thoroughfare has
been converted into a symbol of Cuba's modernization and
progress of
recent years.
PHOTO
CAPTION - The older streets
of Havana which used to resound to the rattle of trolley
cars, now a
part of the city's past, have been renovated and
modernized.
Among these is Carlos III Avenue in one of Havana's larger
commercial
and residential zones.
new projects are a far cry from former days when low-grade
materials
drastically cut the life expectancy of costly public
thoroughfares. Today's modern highways link vast
farming areas
with fishing, villages and mines. Previously isolated
zones now
have easy access to marketing areas. Broad highways
connect the
larger cities and skip across Cuba's wide rivers on graceful
and
solidly-constructed bridges. A vast highway net around
Havana
provides numerous entrances and exits from the heart of the
busy
capital city. Before construction of this intricate
system
traffic in the city was almost completely bottled up during
peak
traffic periods.
Inside Havana, streets which formerly gave the city the
appearance of a
bombed-out metropolis have now disappeared, only to be
replaced by
majestic avenues which are considered among the lovelier and
more
spacious thoroughfares of their kind in the world today.
It is sufficient only to cite Carlos III Avenue, linking the
in town
section of the city with several suburban housing
areas. Infanta
Avenue, the important and ancient city thoroughfare which
traverses the
business heart of the city; Reina Avenue, which penetrates
to the very
core of Havana; and San Rafael, Neptuno and Galiano Streets,
three
vital arteries in the city's circulation system which at one
time lay
almost deserted.
Linea Avenue merits separate mention. Formerly lined
with a
series of abandoned fountains, it has been converted into
one of the
loveliest roadways in the Americas. And Batista Avenue
has
greatly reduced driving time from in town Havana to Suburban
Marianao
with the re-routing of omnibus traffic through the recently
re-
Page 45
PHOTO
CAPTION - Travellers
[travelers] to Havana from the south-western part of
Havana Province
must cross the city to get to the residential zones on the
eastern side
of the metropolis. The long and tedious trip through
narrow,
torturous city streets has been expedited notably by the
widening and
improvement of 26th Street by the Public Works
Ministry. Now
visitors can get to the large Vedado, Miramar, La Sierra
and Almendares
suburban areas without having to pass through downtown
Havana.
PHOTO
CAPTION - Urbanization has
progressed notably in recent years. Several new
residential zones
have sprung into being with financial aid supplied by
government credit
banks. Fifth Avenue has been widened to carry the
increased
volume of traffic to such new residential developments as
the Biltmore
and the small town of Santa Fe further to the west.
constructed and widened Columbia Avenue.
President Batista and his corps of advisers have also proven
admirable
leaders in the field of hospital construction for the
nation's poorer
classes. One of the more famous of these is the Topes
de
Collantes Hospital, which is described in detail in a
special report in
this issue, and other hospital units throughout the
nation. Pinar
del Rio, Las Villas, Camaguey and Oriente Province have seen
the
construction of several of these beneficiary establishments,
fully
equipped with the most modern architectural devices and
medical
equipment that science and industry have devised.
Added to the school, hospital, highway and bridge
construction programs
is one for the control and utilization of rivers. Many
of the
island's rivers have been dammed and water purification
stations
installed to provide suitable drinking water for vast areas
which for
centuries have lived without this essential health-assuring
measure.
These vast construction projects have been initialized and
carried out
for the benefit of the mass of Cuba's population. The
funds of
the people have been reinvested in public works projects of
undeniable
value to the nation.
Page 46
ADVERTISEMENT - Hotel Vedado
Page 47
PHOTO
CAPTION - An aerial shot of Varadero shows the customs
building and the new yacht docking area.
PHOTO
CAPTION - The
clearest water of the Western Hemisphere and fine sandy
beaches have
made Varadero into Cuba's largest tourist
attraction. Long termed
the Blue Beach for the crystal cleanliness and clearness
of the
surrounding seas, Varadero attracts thousands of visitors
a year.
It has also become a lovely city in which both Cubans and
visitors make
their homes for extended vacation periods. The Paso
Malo Lagoon
provides a safe anchorage for excursion yachts, many of
which tie up at
new piers recently constructed by the Public Works
Ministry.
Page 48 & 49
PHOTO
CAPTION - The lovely
yacht basin a Varadero's Blue Beach is constantly full of
pleasure
craft, many of them from the United States. In the
background is
some of the new modern construction which is going up
rapidly along the
resort's extensive shoreline.
PHOTO
CAPTION - Modern
Bridges along Cuba's highways demonstrate the skill and
good taste of
Cuban engineers. Shown here is the Las Canas Bridge
on the
highway linking Cienfuegos and Trinidad.
PHOTO
CAPTION - Another
bridge built on the Sabalo – Mendoza highway in the
Province of Pinar
del Rio, on the extreme western tip of the island.
Page 50 & 51
PHOTO CAPTION
- A panoramic view
of the monumental Topes de Collantes tuberculosis hospital
shows the
huge installation in its verdant setting where patients
can enjoy the
clear mountain air of central Cuba.
PHOTO
CAPTION - Construction of
the Topes de Collantes hospital had been completed several
years
ago. Here is the majestic presence of the building
wich [which]
is furnished with the last improvements in medical
science.
PHOTO
CAPTION - Access to the huge
medical has been facilitated by construction of several
modern highways
from nearby communities.
If the opinions of eminent Cubans who have inspected he huge
Topes de
Collantes Hospital were not sufficient, the comments of
outstanding
world scientists who have had the opportunity of viewing the
renowned
hospital construction could also be extensively quoted.
The hospital is, without doubt, a source of pride for the
whole
hemisphere. It was constructed with the most modern
methods and
equipped with the best facilities available to treat
respiratory
diseases. In addition to its unexcelled construction
and
equipment, the hospital is also endowed with highly unusual
and
extremely beneficial natural location which in itself of
considerable
aid to its numerous patients.
In effect Topes de Collantes is a dream which has become a
reality. It is a medical center which is helping
Cubans fight
tuberculosis with all the care and aid that modern science
and nature
can provide.
Page 52
PHOTO
CAPTION - The biggest bridge
of its type in the Americas: this structure is located
across the
Cuyaguateje River in western Cuba on the Panamerican
Highway.
PHOTO
CAPTION - Another of the
many bridges built into Cuba's modern highway
network. This
bridge is located in El Lucero, on the outskirts of
Havana. It is
traversed by Dolores Avenue which leads into Cuba's large
Central
Highway running the length on the island.
PHOTO
CAPTION - The trip from
Havana to Varadero can be made in less than an hour and 40
minutes by
using the new Via Blanca Highway, now nearing
completion. The new
roadway is now open from Marbella beach, slightly to the
east of
Havana, to Rincon de Guanabo.
Page 53
PHOTO
CAPTION - The best of Cuban
water power has been another problem facing the nation in
recent
times. Shown here is the Cacoyoguin River, which
supplies
drinking water to the city of Holguin, third largest in
the republic.
PHOTO
CAPTION - The bridge over the Yaguanabo River is located
on the highway between Cienfuegos and Trinidad.
PHOTO
CAPTION - The Felipe Pazos
bridge is located on the highway between Sagua and
Sitiecito. It
is constructed of concrete and ha three spans of 46.47
meters each and
six 15-meter spans.
PHOTO
CAPTION - The Arimao Bridge,
over the rive of the same name on the Cienfuegos –
Trinidad highway, is
another example of the fine work done in recent years by
Public Works
Ministry engineers.
Page 54
PHOTO
CAPTION - Hospital
construction is being carried out throughout the
island. Seen
here is an impressive view of the National Hospital in
Havana. In
the background is the National Nursing School
PHOTO
CAPTION - A civil Hospital has been built in Cienfuegos to
administer to the needs of the surrounding areas.
Page 55
PHOTO
CAPTION - Camaguey has not
been neglected in Cuba's building boom. The new
civic hospital
will be installed in this building of modern architectural
design.
PHOTO
CAPTION - In the large
eastern city of Santiago de Cuba a huge medical center is
also being
constructed to attend to the medical needs of the people
of the eastern
end of the island.
Page 56
PHOTO
CAPTION - This 440-meter
bridge crosses the Agabama River on the highway between
Trinidad,
ancient and legendary city of Las Villas Province, and
Sancti Spiritus,
one of the first cities to be settled by Spanish settlers.
PHOTO
CAPTION - Cuba's cities have
been linked with the nation's outstanding tourist resorts
by modern
highways. Here is a view of the highway which
connects Santiago
de Cuba with the Morro, and old Spanish constructed fort,
at the
entrance to the huge port of Santiago.
PHOTO
CAPTION - Fulfilling
international commitments, Cuba has constructed its link
in the
Panamerican Highway. Shown here is the stretch of
the
international road between San Juan y Martinez, fertile
tobacco-growing
zone in western Cuba, and La Fe, rich fishing port on the
Gulf of
Mexico.
PHOTO
CAPTION - Lower class
housing projects have also received attention in Cuba in
recent
years. Dolores Avenue, for example has been extended
into
residential zones occupied largely by medium or low-income
families. One of this type of residential areas is
named Vista
Alegre and appears in the left background.
Page 57
PHOTO
CAPTION - The Isle of Pines,
located off of Cuba's southern coast, has constructed a
new airport
which is kept busy handling a large number of daily
flights.
PHOTO
CAPTION - Varadero, Cuba's
number one tourist resort and lushly endowed by nature,
has its own
modern airport. A plane waits a load of passengers
before
take-off for Havana or Miami.
PHOTO
CAPTION - The Antonio Maceo
Airport in Santiago de Cuba has also been greatly enlarged
to meet the
growing volume of domestic and international
flights. The work
was carried out by the Public Works Ministry.
PHOTO
CAPTION - Camaguey, capital
of the province of the same name, has seen a long-standing
wish come
true: the city now has a thriving international airport
and
terminal. It is a busy stopping place for
international and
domestic flights.
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