In this regard, World Road Day is celebrated on October 11, to recognize the importance of roads in societies, as well as to pay tribute to the engineers, builders and operators who develop these infrastructure works.
The importance of investing in the maintenance and conservation of these civil engineering structures is emphasized, in order to improve the quality of life of the users who move them.
The date of this anniversary commemorates the celebration of the First World Road Congress, held in Paris (France), between October 11 and 18, 1908.
Regarding this, it is known that the longest road in the world is the Pan-American Highway, which is about 30 thousand kilometers long. It is a highway system that connects 14 American countries, from Patagonia to Alaska.
In addition, the first paved road in the world was built in 1909 in the city of Detroit (Michigan, United States).
In 2020, the world’s first photo-luminescent road was tested in the Netherlands. It is a mechanism that absorbs sunlight during the day and provides eight hours of light in the dark.
Another unique element is in the Henan province of China, where the Guoliang tunnel is located, which is considered one of the most dangerous roads in the world. It was built in a simple way by its inhabitants. Currently, during the process of designing a road, the study of the behavior of drivers and pedestrians is considered.
In the United Arab Emirates, camels have priority access on roads and trails.
Interstate Highway I-10 located in Houston (Texas, USA), known as the Katy Freeway, is the highway with the most lanes in the world, as some sections have 26.
There are many details, such as Transfagarasan (Romania), which was built in the 70s and is considered the best highway on the Planet. With a distance of 90 kilometers, the route of this emblematic mountain road was included in an edition of the Top Gear program.
The Tail of the Dragon (United States) has 318 curves in a length of 18 kilometers and is located 1,500 meters high, overlooking the Great Smoky Mountains Park.
Among the famous or most famous highways is Route 66 (Estados Unidos), this 3,940 kilometer highway is the scene of countless feature films. (It has been part of the United States federal highway network since 1926).
And to end the terms of strange facts, the movie Easy Rider (United States. Director: Dennis Hopper. Year 1969) can be found in the list of its exclusive link on the roads.
In the film, two adventurous youths embark on an extraordinary road trip on their motorcycles, crossing the southwest and south of the United States to attend the Mardi Gras carnival in New Orleans.
These examples show the relevance of this World Day and the effects it has on people’s lives.
