The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1924-03-23
UNITED STATES HAS
" DISTINCTIVE ROADS
Longest. Shortest, Highest, Widest And Narrow
est Paved Highways Are In This
ggga r.. Country NJ

Ak profit were necessary that the Uni
tedVStatesswhich, thanks to the develop
ment of the motor vehicle, is now
passing through the most intensive
period of highway development in the
history of the world, is building roads
that surpass in quality, anything of the
kind constructed. since the days of the
Roman, Empire, that proof is to be
fossnd in abundance. 1t exists moi
only in the quality and quantity OF
Anglican highways but in the develop
nssaE of bodybuilding methods and ma.
ter3Als. The road builders of this
GENTRY has not only outstripped
tier ancient predecessors in the use
oEsthe most ancient materials but are
sg&kting better results with greater
speed, less labor and lower cost.
Motorists may be interested in know
ing that in the United States are now
ID. be found some of the most distinc-
tiresas well as the most unique and in
tresting highways in existence. The
UnifedS States possesses the longest
paxkd motor road in the world, the
Pacific highway, running from Van
c04yer, B. c., along the Pacific coast
t4ss3he. Mexican border, a distance of
1Ez6 miles. In this country also
isFte be found the highest motor road
INF the, world--that on Pixies Peak in
CoIo&ado, 14,109 feet above the level
ofssthe sea. Nevada avenue, Colorado
Sppings, Col, 6,340 feet above sea level
issthe highest paved street in the world,
widest. The shortest and narrowest
n q vnd IN &c
wise in America. 1t traverses Smith
Island, one of the little islands in the
lower Chesapeake bay, near Chrisfield
Md. This road is less than a mile long
and is just wide enough to permit the
passage of one motor car at time. At
intervals Their are sidings, or passing
tracks" where the cars pass each other.
In this country is to be found not
only the most unique paved street in
the world, bit three of the worlds
most beautiful and famous asphalt
paved mountain roadside Columbia
River highway which overlooks the
Hudson river and Americas Valley
Of the Rhine" from the Peekskill noun
tains in New York, and the Lacka-
wanna Trail which runs from Delaware
Water Gap through the Pocono noun
tains In Pennsylvania. The unique
street referred to is Lombard street,
San Francisco, a twisting thorough
fare which climbs a steep hillside at
30 per cent grade in much the same
manner as grape vine climbs a pole.
Various ancient paving materials
have entered into the construction of
these thoroughfares, chief of which is
asphalt, the oldest waterproof adhesive
known to man and the most ancient of
all road materials since it was first
used in paving street in Babylon by
King Nabopolasser in $500 B. c., or
nearly $500 year ago. At different
times in the centuries that followed,
asphalt was discovered first in the
form of rock asphalt occurring as lime
stone and sandstone impregnated with
asphalt and later mixed with vegetable
and mineral matter in pools and lakes,
notably those in Trinidad and Vene-
Euela. Within the last ten years it has
been found in apparently inexhaustable
quantities embodied in the heavy pc
trolcEms of Mexico and California.
These petroleums are now subjected
to a refining process by American as
phalt producers by which the lighter
oils are removed. The asphalt thus
made available constitutes the finest
Of all asphalts and is 995 per cent pure