When was the panamerican highway built

Another attempt to build a road began in , but in a United Nations agency argued that the road would cause extensive environmental damage. Other ideas included the implementation of a short ferry link from Colombia to a new ferry port in Panama, along with an extension of the existing Panama Highway, and the construction of a combination of bridges and tunnels. None of these were put into place.

It was argued that a link would jeopardise rainforest protection, the containment of the spread of tropical diseases, the protection of the livelihood of indigenous peoples, the prevention of drug trafficking and associated violence, and the prevention of foot-and-mouth disease from entering North America. For the time being the gap can only be crossed through an occasionally running ferry or by plane — by bike or on foot is not advisable because of the wild terrain and the risk of being kidnapped or robbed by local gangs.

The route then heads south to Peru, and follows Peru Highway 1. On its way from Peru into Chile, drivers or cyclists encounter the third significant challenge, the Atacama Desert — the highest non-polar region in the world. After, the highway follows Chile Route 5 through Antofagasta to Valparaiso. The process of creating the highway was a slow one, due to war, money and lack of governmental cooperation, but today it is possible to travel the length of the Americas — more or less.

With 11 websites and newsletters covering all the key areas within the construction industry, World Construction Industry Network is the leading global construction information resource. Members: Register Login About Us. But as evident as the mere absence of life is the prominent mark of death along the sides of the Pan-American Highway—hand-built crosses occurring almost as regularly as the kilometer markers themselves.

They stand coldly in the sand bearing the names and dates of death of accident victims. The crosses are too numerous to count, but there are certainly thousands of them.

The truck traffic is heavy and aggressive, buses race wildly north and south lest they reach their destination late by a few minutes and cars honk first and brake later.

These reckless vehicles share the road—well, they use the same road, anyway—as three-wheeled moto-taxis, donkey-drawn carts, motor bikers, pedestrians and a few cyclists. In one village, I saw a cross scrawled with a death date just two months prior.

Two-hundred meters away was another marking a fatal accident last April. The heavy presence of death, it seems, never quite leaves this place. Just ten kilometers north of the town of Casma we passed a small woven-bamboo shack with an open side facing the road.

Inside were more than a dozen crosses. Each person, it appeared, had died on the same day—August 13, Some later research revealed that this was the date of a horrific bus-truck collision involving some local commercial fishermen and a vehicle carrying flammable liquids. The crash resulted in an explosion, and 14 people died.

Just several kilometers later I caught a glimpse of something more ghastly on the west side of the highway. I turned around and crossed over and leaned my bike on the dune and stared. Is there anything more that I should know?

For a trip to south america, Route 40 in Argentina is far more interesting than the pan-american highway. What an interesting article, thank you. Colombian drug lords. In the rainforests. Lovely book. My stepfather was the mechanic of an Inter-American Expedition in that drove a Sunbeam Alpine non-stop from Fairbanks, Alaska to the southern tip of Tierra del Fuego, using rafts to cross the Gap and sleeping with headhunters in Central America.

That would be preceding the claim made here. I just came up with about 22, kilometers on Google Maps, depending on the specific routes chosen. Clearly, 30, kilometers, or miles, is incorrect, since the straight line pole-to-pole distance is only 20, kilometers, as measured on Google Earth. Mileage stated here is way off…19, miles is more like it.. His book Two Wheels to Adventure is a classic that out shines all. Your email address will not be published. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam.

Learn how your comment data is processed. Think This Map Was Brilliant? Enter Your E-mail Address:. There are many branches that allow you to cover the full Arctic to almost Antarctic distance, adding up to a whopping 30,miles 48,km in total.

The road is not often traveled in its entirety. The trip offers the most diverse scenery on the planet—and plenty of pit stops. Driving the Pan American Highway is probably the most popular overland route in the world. The ultimate road trip tops out at 3.

While it doesn't officially have a route through the U. No road in the U. The travel is a real adventure, and there are a lot of risks. High temperatures, landslides, steep drop-offs, livestock in the road and impassable sections during the wet season.

Due to the extreme winters, it's advisable to avoid winter at the extreme North and South ends of the journey.