Conquering kilometers of roads is an exciting activity. Especially if the route has a modern surface and allows you to travel along the longest route without interference.
Today we offer the Top 10, which includes the longest highways in the world. Any of them is of particular importance for those countries through whose territory it runs.
In terms of the total length of the road network, China ranks second in the world after the United States. The length of the main highway National Highway 010 is 5,700 km. The route begins in the northeast of the mainland and ends on Hainan Island, where cars are transported by ferry.
9. Route in the Tarim Desert, China
This highway is the longest road in the desert. The road is important for oil producers, who several years ago began to develop a large oil and gas field in the desert.
8. Interstate 90, USA
The American road network is the longest and most extensive on the planet. Interstate 90 starts at the Canadian border and ends in Boston. It is noteworthy that the highway passes through the longest pontoon bridge in the world. Most of the highway is toll.
7. US Route 20, USA
The longest highway in the USA is 5,500 km long. The road connects the East Coast of the United States with the West. US Route 20 passes through the main area of Yellowstone National Park.
6. Karakoram Highway, Pakistan-China
The route almost completely follows the route of the ancient Great Silk Road. The highway is the highest in the world. Almost 1,000 workers died while building the road due to the dangers in the cliffs.
5. Trans-Siberian Highway, Russia
Such a highway simply does not exist on official maps. However, if you combine several routes from the Baltic to the Sea of Japan into a single whole, you will get a single federal road with a length of 11,000 km.
4. Trans-Canada Highway, Canada
This highway connects 10 Canadian provinces. The length of the route is 8030 km. Having traveled the entire route, you can get from the Pacific coast directly to the Atlantic coast. The road was built over 20 years.
3. Highway 1, Australia
Australia's main national highway stretches for a record 14,500 km. The route does not go deep into the continent, but always stretches along the coast. More than a million vehicles travel on Highway 1 every day.
2. Highway AH1, Japan - Türkiye
Asian Highway No. 1 is a special UN project for which billions of dollars have been allocated. The length of the route connecting Japan, both Koreas, Vietnam, Cambodia, Burma, India, Bangladesh, Thailand, Iran, Pakistan and Turkey is 20,557 km. Today, cars are transported from the Japanese part of the highway to the mainland by ferry, but an underwater tunnel project is being developed.
1. Pan American Highway, North and South America
The world's longest highway is included in the Guinness Book of Records. The length of the road is 48,000 km, it passes through the territory of 15 countries. Construction of the Pan-American Highway began in 1889. It is noteworthy that on the official maps of the USA and Canada there is no route called the “Pan-American Highway”, although in fact the road passes through the territory of these countries.
Many Russian residents are interested in what is the widest road in their country. Russia cannot boast of any special records in this area, since most of its highways are standard in basic parameters, unlike, for example, Brazil and Canada with the widest possible roads.
Every month there are more and more cars on the streets of Russian cities. And therefore, standing in long traffic jams, many Russians dream of wider and more spacious roads. In fact, these have been around for a long time. For example, the widest road in the world is in Brazil; it has 22 lanes. It appeared in the middle of the last century and continues to work to this day. True, the condition of the road under discussion currently leaves much to be desired. Rare repairs improve the surface only for a short time, and then drivers again have to suffer from its poor quality.
This particular road is considered to be the widest in the world due to the number of lanes, because the more common number for us is 8-9, but not more than 20. By the way, in addition to a highway with impressive parameters, the widest highway also managed to get into the Guinness Book of Records in the world. It is located in Canada and is also the busiest.
As for Russian roads, most of them are 8-lane. No record holders that greatly exceed this figure have yet been built. Today, only the capital has a chance to get wider roads, but so far such projects have not even reached the stage of discussion by the government. But don’t forget about one interesting fact - even the most standard 6- or 8-lane Russian highways are still wider than, for example, European ones. After all, each stripe is equal to 3 meters 75 centimeters. In Germany, for comparison, this figure is 25 centimeters less. Changes to the established standard were repeatedly discussed in order to save on road construction. But so far they have not been approved, because it is the width of Russian highways that is most convenient for the passage of cars of various sizes.
We must not forget about another interesting fact. After all, it was in Russia that the widest railways turned out to be. Therefore, when crossing the border on trains going to or from Europe, you have to change wheels or even transfer passengers to another transport. The reason for this difference in width is the railway gauge standards that were established many years ago. The Russian engineer Melnikov established in the mid-19th century that its most optimal parameter would be 1524 millimeters in width; later it was reduced by another 4 millimeters. European railways are already almost 85 centimeters.
In Russia today there is no road that would hold the world record for its width. But perhaps such a highway will appear, for example, in the Russian capital in the future. This is actively driven by the daily increasing flow of cars on its streets.
The width of these roads is simply amazing, and the view from above of numerous streams of cars surprises with its scope. TravelAsk will tell you about the widest highways in the world.
22 stripes
Yes, you heard right: the widest road in the world consists of 22 lanes! This highway is located in Ontario in Canada, it is called very simply - Highway No. 401. There are eighteen main traffic lanes that operate constantly, and four more are used additionally as connecting ramps.
This record holder lies between Windsor, in southwestern Ontario, and Quebec, located in east-central Canada. The road also passes through Toronto, and this section is the busiest in North America.
Another record holder
The USA also has its own “hero” in terms of width: this is the highway between Houston and its suburb - Katy. It was completed in 2008. It is part of Interstate 10 (or I 10), which connects 8 American states. There is very heavy traffic here, so the decision was made to widen the route. And in the end, do you know what happened? 26 traffic lanes. Of these 26 lanes, 12 are main traffic lanes, 8 are access roads along the edges, and 6 lanes in the center of the highway are laid specifically for high-power vehicles moving at high speeds.
Thanks to this expansion, the traffic flow on this highway is enormous: up to half a million cars pass here every day.
It is quite understandable that to service such a colossal flow, all sorts of multi-level structures have been invented here that perfectly regulate traffic.
Above the ground
And this record holder is worth highlighting separately. The thing is that this is not just a highway, but a road that runs over a bridge. The viaduct is located in the US state of California and connects San Francisco and.
The bridge has 15 lanes, 10 of which go east.
The widest section of the road
Well, this is the road between Beijing, Hong Kong and.
In fact, this road has 8 lanes, but near one of the checkpoints it expands to 50. Therefore, it is not actually a record holder, but it is worth mentioning.
In 2015, the largest traffic jam in history was recorded on this highway. The reason for this is the desire of the Chinese to attend the national holiday.
Incredible facts
Nobody likes crowded streets, let alone driving on a street with 8 sharp turns on one block, crossing 12 roads at one intersection, or parking on a street located at a 40 degree angle.
Here are some of the most intimidating, steep, long, wide, narrow and other unusual streets in the world.
1. Lombard Street, San Francisco, USA
Lombard Street in San Francisco, USA is best known for being the most winding street in the world. In total, there are about 8 turns on the angular slope called hairpins, which were made in order to smooth out its steep slope. The winding section of Lombard Street allows only one-way traffic and parking is prohibited. Crazy races are also often held on the street.
2. The Magic Roundabout, Swindon, England
The intersection, located in the town of Swindon, is possibly the most confusing intersection in the world. It was built in 1972 and is an intersection of 6 roads with 5 smaller junctions. In addition, if you enter a small central junction, you need to drive along it in a counter-clockwise direction. Surprisingly, the crossing was made in order to reduce traffic jams in the city.
3. Baldwin Street, Dunedin, New Zealand
Baldwin Street in the city of Dunedin in New Zealand bears the title steepest street in the world. In this country, many cities were built on mountainous and hilly terrain. The street has a 35-degree slope and is so steep that the top of the street is made of concrete, as regular road material would simply slide down in hot weather.
4. Avenue 9 July, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Avenue 9 of July in the city of Buenos Aires is considered the widest street in the world. It has six lanes in each direction. With a width of 91 meters, it occupies an entire city block. Crossing the avenue in some places may take several minutes to complete all 12 lanes. Walking along the avenue, you can admire many attractions, including the old French embassy, the Don Quixote statue, the famous obelisk and the Place de la Constitution.
5. Spreuerhofstrasse, Reutlingen, Germany
Spreuerhofstrasse in the city of Reutlingen in Germany is the narrowest street in the world. At its widest part it is 50 cm wide and at its narrowest 31 cm. It was built in 1727 during reconstruction after the area was destroyed by severe fires. The previous record for the narrowest street in the world was held by Parliament Street in England, dating back to the 14th century. At its widest point its width is about 122 cm, and at its narrowest 64 cm.
6. Road to Giza, Egypt
The road to Giza is famous for being oldest paved road in the world. It was built 4,600 years ago and connects an ancient basalt quarry with the river adjacent to the Nile. The width of the road is about 2 meters, and its length is about 12 km. The road was used to transport huge blocks of basalt to build the pyramids of Giza.
7. Pan American Highway, USA
The Pan-American Highway is now considered longest highway in the world. It supplanted Young Street in Canada, which for a long time was also considered the longest road in the world, whose length was 1896 km. The Pan-American Highway connects the roads of North and South America, and its length is 48,000 kilometers. The highway passes through 15 countries, including the United States, Canada, Mexico, Peru, Argentina and El Salvador.
8. Ebenezer Place, Scotland
Ebenezer Place in Wick Scotland is listed as shortest street in the world according to the Guinness Book of Records. Its length is only 2.06 meters. The only address on this street is the front door of Bistro Number 1, which is part of the McCays Hotel, built in 1883. At one time, its owner was told to write the name on the shortest part of the hotel, and in 1887 it was officially declared a street.
9. Judge Garry Pregerson's Denouement, Los Angeles, USA
Judge Garry Pregerson's roundabout is located in the city of Los Angeles and is considered the most difficult transport interchange in the world. It is a stacked interchange with many bridges that create a complex road network for the smooth flow of traffic across interstate highways. The interchange was opened in 1993 and has 4 levels, and each of the branches is intended for a specific type of transport.
10. Putrajaya Roundabout, Malaysia
Not many people who find themselves in the center of Malaysia immediately realize that they are in largest roundabout in the world. The circumference of this intersection is about 3.4 km and the street it surrounds is called Persiaran Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah.
There are now three streets that claim to be the widest street in the world. According to one version, this is 9 de Julio Avenue in Argentina, which is named after the state's independence day. It has six lanes in both directions and occupies an entire block in width.
The width of this avenue is 140 m.
The road was formed as a result of the union of two parallel blocks. The Avenue was planned back in 1888, but work began only in 1937. The main construction was completed in the 1960s. The road runs through the city from north to south and ends at airports on both sides.
The metro runs underneath the avenue, and the 67-meter obelisk in the city center is surrounded by a circular traffic circle. City planners advocate removing the avenue underground and leaving a walking area on top.
To cross the avenue, you will need to go through at least three traffic lights and spend about 5 minutes.
This street contains many famous buildings, such as the Ministry of Communications building, the French Embassy, the Don Quixote statue, other monuments, as well as the Plaza de la República.
Here's another contender...
According to another version, the honorary title of the widest street in the world went to Monumental Val, located in Brazil.
The width of the Monumental Shaft is much larger than that of its competitor - 250 m.
This avenue connects the Municipal Square and the Square of the Three Powers of the Brazilian capital.
The monumental Val is the central avenue of the capital of Brazil, which connects the Square of the Three Powers and the Municipal Square. The national congress of the state, buildings of various ministries, monuments, and memorials are also located here.
By the way, in Brazil itself there is a legend that about 100 cars can simultaneously drive along the Monumental Shaft side by side, but in reality these are fairy tales to attract tourists. The road itself consists of six lanes in each direction, which is divided in the middle by a wide lawn. By the way, there are practically no traffic lights here, and only a few traffic controllers cope with the flow, and this despite the fact that several hundred thousand cars pass here every day.
However, this rectangular area with one-way eight-lane roads on each side includes a wide lawn in the middle. Government offices and historical buildings line the road. If we discard formal signs, then this particular road is the widest in the world.
It is noteworthy that only two traffic lights and no more than four traffic controllers are used to regulate the movement of cars on Monumental Shaft, although several hundred thousand cars pass along it every day.
There is also this version...
even side
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