The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1943-06-18
WORLDS LONGEST ROAD

IN duCl6uC udyS the uOuuduS, 81 Oot-
est of warriors, were also the great
est of road-builders. Wide roads sol
idly built and paved with stone led
from the Eternal City to all the con-
quered provinces, going ever forward
behind the triumphant armi s.
Those roads helped Rome to win
wars.
In spite of the greatly improved
transportation by sea, by air and by
rail, the paved road is still great
asset in war. Armies have continued
to be road-builders, and nations pre-
pairing for conquest first provide
themselves with strategic highways.
The United States has nOt-at least,
in recent years-built roads for con-
quest, but 1t has built and is build
ing them for defense, and If victory
comes to the nation with the long
est road, it will naturally fall into
the lap of Uncle Sam.
That longest road is the Pan
American Highway, noble and al
most fantastic vision of nearly 20
years ago, but today gigantic pro-
ject rapidly nearing realization. This
monumental road will be 1900
miles long-longer, perhaps, than
any the Romans ever built, and 1t
traverses II nations, all of which
are helping to build it.
If any country should come up
with a claim to longer road all we
need to do is to add to the Pan Amer
lean a highway through the United
States (existing but not designated)
plus the new Alaskan Highway, to-
gether with connecting links in Can
ada and Alaska, and we shall have
at least doubled the lenghth of the
Pan American. That would be the
International Highway. All sections
are being pushed today; all parts of
a logical and connected system
which, in few years, will permit a
motorist to drive from Alaska to
Chile-from the Arctic region to the
Antarctic on one road.
But, strictly speaking, the Pan
American Highway, as envisioned by
a group of Latin American engineers
meeting in Washington in 1924, and
progressively brought into being
since that date, is that part of the
continental highway that go s
through the Latin American coun-
tries. 1t begins at Neuvo Laredo,
Mexico, across the Rio Grande from
Laredo, Texas; it extends south
through Mexico, roughly parallel to
the Gulf Coast, until it skirts the
Pacific Ocean at Salina Cruz; it then
follows the Continental Divide
through six of the Central Ameri-
can countries Gall but British Hon
duras) until it reaches the Panama
Canal distance of 1870 miles.
The South American branch, ex-
tending some 5000 miles farther,
is more or less theoretical. But Sec
lions of it have been built along the
routes surveyed, which generally
follow the Pacific coast as far south
1T Valparaiso, Chile, and then cross
over to Buenos Aires, on the east
coast. An alternate route leaves the
coast at Vitor, Peru, passes through
La Paz, Bolivia, and thence south
aastely to Buenos Aires. A proposed
extension would pass through Uru-
quay, following the coast to Rio de
Janeiro, and a spur road has been
surveyed ito Asuncion, capital Of
Paraguay. Also connected, and con-
sidered a part of the Pan American,
IS the well-traveled Simon Bolivar
Highway from Caracas, Venezuela,
to Guayaquil, Ecuador.
Thus the complete Pan American
Highway will pass through II Latin
American countries, and reach the
capital city of every one of them.
But the South American part of
the Highway is left to the various
countries it traverses, to be built
at their leisure and convenience, and
as they are able. Some 1000 miles
Of it have been paved, and two
thirds of it can be travelled the year
round Uncle Sam has helped, and
will help further, with the loan Of
engineers and money.