Route 1 (Paraguay)

National Route 1 (officially PY01, Ruta Nacional Número 1), named after Marshal Francisco Solano López, is a national highway in Paraguay running 382 km (237 mi) from the capital Asunción south to Encarnación on the Paraná River.^[1] It crosses the departments of Central, Paraguarí, Misiones, and Itapúa. The route begins at the intersection of Choferes del Chaco and Fernando de la Mora Avenues (Cuatro Mojones) in Asunción and ends at the San Roque González de Santa Cruz Bridge over the Paraná.^[2]

Paraguay's second-busiest highway after PY02, PY01 connects the Asunción metropolitan area to the Argentine border and carries the bulk of overland freight moving between Paraguay and northeastern Argentina. As of 2025, the route is the subject of a public-private partnership (APP) contract worth more than USD 400 million to duplicate the carriageway between Cuatro Mojones and Quiindy.^[3]

Paraguay's national road network was established under Law No. 320 of March 30, 1962, which defined the numbering and classification of national routes.^[1] PY01 was created as a numbered national route in 1967.^[1] The route was named in honor of Marshal Francisco Solano López, who served as president of Paraguay from 1862 until his death in 1870 during the Paraguayan War.

PY01 originates at Cuatro Mojones, the intersection of Choferes del Chaco and Fernando de la Mora Avenues on the western fringe of greater Asunción, which the Agencia de Información Paraguaya identifies as the nominal "point zero" of the national road network.^[1] From there it runs south and southeast through the Central department, passing through Villa Elisa, Fernando de la Mora, Ñemby, San Antonio, Ypané, Guarambaré, and Itá before climbing into the Paraguarí department at Yaguarón. The route reaches Paraguarí at km 69, where it meets PY10, and Carapeguá at km 83, where it meets PY18.

Continuing south, PY01 enters the Misiones department at Villa Florida and passes through San Miguel, San Juan Bautista, and San Ignacio, where PY04 branches west at km 224. At San Patricio (km 252), PY20 intersects. The route then crosses into the Itapúa department and reaches Coronel Bogado (km 320), where it meets PY08. The southern terminus is Encarnación, where PY06 diverges and the route ends at the San Roque González de Santa Cruz Bridge linking Paraguay to Posadas, Argentina.

Three toll stations are located along the route: at Itá (km 42), Caapucú (km 157), and Coronel Bogado (km 325).

In 2019, the Ministerio de Obras Públicas y Comunicaciones (MOPC) issued Resolution 1090/2019, reclassifying several segments of PY01.^[2] Under the resolution, the official alignment of PY01 was redirected through Ñemby via the Acceso Sur corridor. The former alignment through San Lorenzo and Itá was reclassified as departmental route D027.^[4] The change reflected the completion of infrastructure along Acceso Sur and aimed to reduce congestion on the older urban corridor.^[2]

Traffic volumes on the Asunción–Paraguarí segment have long exceeded the route's two-lane design capacity. By the time the duplication project was formally launched, the segment carried an average of 34,350 vehicles per day; the project targets a capacity of 50,000 vehicles per day.^[5]

In October 2022, the consortium of Grupo SEG, Deloitte, and Fiorio Cardozo presented technical studies financed by the Inter-American Development Bank covering options for improving PY01.^[6] MOPC published prequalification documents for a public-private partnership in February 2023.^[7]

Two consortiums submitted bids: Rutas del Mercosur and Desarrollo Vial al Sur.^[8][9] In September 2025, MOPC issued Resolution 1590/25 awarding the contract to the Rutas del Mercosur consortium, comprising Paraguayan firms Tecnoedil, Alya, Construpar, and SEMISA, at a price 8 percent below the reference value.^{[3][10][11][12]}

The contract covers 108 km (67 mi) between Cuatro Mojones and Quiindy, including lane duplication, seven grade-separated interchanges, road bypasses, and bridge reconstruction.^[3][12] The concession runs for 30 years and carries a total investment exceeding USD 400 million, making it Paraguay's second and largest APP infrastructure contract.^[13][14] An estimated 2.6 million residents of the Central and Paraguarí departments are expected to benefit from the improved corridor.^[5] The concessionaire has until 2027 to secure financing.^[15]

Community consultations for the project began in March 2026.^[5] A separate MOPC study released in mid-2025 examined grade-separated corridors and elevated roads within the broader Asunción metropolitan area as part of the same connectivity program.^[16]

The table below shows distances along PY01 and the departments and junctions at each point.

• Transport in Paraguay