Autovía M-501
Encyclopedia
The M-501 highway is an autovía
in the Spanish
region of Madrid
. It is managed by the Madrid regional government as a primary road in the Madrid network. Only the first 48 kilometres (29.8 mi), from the beginning near Madrid to the current end at Navas del Rey
are motorway-grade, while a two-lane road also called M-501 continues on to the regional border with the province of Ávila
(Castile and León
).
It is named after the old comarcal road C-501 that connected the cities of Alcorcón
(near Madrid) and Plasencia
(in Extremadura), which was split in three parts and transferred to the relevant Autonomous Communities. The several dams and reservoirs in the route of the road made the M-501 stuck to the name of Reservoir Highway (Sp. Autovía de los Pantanos) even when the current highway does not pass near any reservoir.
The M-501 begins at the intersection of the M-40 beltway
and the M-511 dual carriageway
near Pozuelo de Alarcón
and Boadilla del Monte
. It borders the latter town, intersecting the M-50 beltway and is later joined by the M-506 near Villaviciosa de Odón and the European University of Madrid. It then crosses the future highway M-600 south of Brunete
and continues west to Chapinería
and Navas del Rey
, where the autovía ends at a roundabout
.
Autovía
An autovía is one of two classes of major highway in the Spanish road system similar to a motorway. It is akin to the autopista, the other major highway class, but has fewer features and is never a toll road. Some distinguishing features of an autovía are that it must be divided by a median, it...
in the Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
region of Madrid
Madrid (autonomous community)
The Community of Madrid is one of the seventeen autonomous communities of Spain. It is located at the center of the country, the Iberian Peninsula, and the Castilian Central Plateau . The community is also conterminous with the province of Madrid and contains the capital of Spain, which is also...
. It is managed by the Madrid regional government as a primary road in the Madrid network. Only the first 48 kilometres (29.8 mi), from the beginning near Madrid to the current end at Navas del Rey
Navas del Rey
Navas del Rey is a municipality of the Community of Madrid, Spain....
are motorway-grade, while a two-lane road also called M-501 continues on to the regional border with the province of Ávila
Ávila (province)
Ávila is a province of central-western Spain, in the southern part of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is bordered on the south by the provinces of Toledo and Cáceres, on the west by Salamanca, on the north by Valladolid, and on the east by Segovia and Madrid. Ávila has a...
(Castile and León
Castile and León
Castile and León is an autonomous community in north-western Spain. It was so constituted in 1983 and it comprises the historical regions of León and Old Castile...
).
It is named after the old comarcal road C-501 that connected the cities of Alcorcón
Alcorcón
Alcorcón is a city in the metropolitan area of Madrid, Spain; , it had a population of 168,229. It is located 13 km to the south-west of Madrid....
(near Madrid) and Plasencia
Plasencia
Plasencia is a walled market city in the province of Cáceres, Extremadura, Western Spain. , it had a population of 41,447.Situated on the bank of the Jerte River, Plasencia has a historic quarter that is a consequence of the city's strategic location along the Silver Route, or Ruta de la Plata...
(in Extremadura), which was split in three parts and transferred to the relevant Autonomous Communities. The several dams and reservoirs in the route of the road made the M-501 stuck to the name of Reservoir Highway (Sp. Autovía de los Pantanos) even when the current highway does not pass near any reservoir.
The M-501 begins at the intersection of the M-40 beltway
Autopista de Circunvalación M-40
The M-40, in Spanish transport, is a Madrid orbital motorway, similar to the M25 motorway in London, or the Boulevard Périphérique in Paris. It is the second-outermost of the Madrid orbital highways, the M-30 being the closest to the centre of Madrid. It has a total length of , looping around...
and the M-511 dual carriageway
Dual carriageway
A dual carriageway is a class of highway with two carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation...
near Pozuelo de Alarcón
Pozuelo de Alarcón
Pozuelo de Alarcón is a suburb of over 85,000 inhabitants near the city of Madrid, capital of Spain. It is surrounded by large Mediterranean pine-tree forests: la Casa de Campo, el Monte del Pardo and el Monte del Pilar...
and Boadilla del Monte
Boadilla del Monte
Boadilla del Monte is a town in Spain. It is located in the center of the Community of Madrid. It had a population of 41,807 in 2008.-External links:* * *...
. It borders the latter town, intersecting the M-50 beltway and is later joined by the M-506 near Villaviciosa de Odón and the European University of Madrid. It then crosses the future highway M-600 south of Brunete
Brunete
Brunete is a town outside Madrid, Spain. There was a major battle fought there during the Spanish Civil War. The battle, while a stalemate, was seen as a tactical victory for the Spanish Nationalist Forces. Francisco Franco is known to have gone hunting there during his rule.It is located...
and continues west to Chapinería
Chapinería
Chapinería is a municipality of the Community of Madrid, Spain.-External links:...
and Navas del Rey
Navas del Rey
Navas del Rey is a municipality of the Community of Madrid, Spain....
, where the autovía ends at a roundabout
Roundabout
A roundabout is the name for a road junction in which traffic moves in one direction around a central island. The word dates from the early 20th century. Roundabouts are common in many countries around the world...
.