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The Pan American Highway

Started by DrZoidberg, April 12, 2009, 02:59:24 PM

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abefroman329

Quote from: vdeane on August 15, 2018, 01:25:22 PM
I made this as a parody of the proposals to have I-11 along I-19 and through eastern Oregon/Washington (with some inspiration from the Immigration Freedomway thread): https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=12994.0
I thought I'd heard this proposal before: https://politics.theonion.com/u-s-protests-mexi-canadian-overpass-1819566460


theroadwayone

If and when the Pan-American Highway is completed, then you'd have the most ideal road trip out there. For a while, I thought it would make an excellent Grand Tour special...until I realized that the trio are not welcome in Argentina.

english si

#52
^^ They could do it north of the Argentine border, then make a comment that they aren't going to be allowed into Argentina after last time.

James: "where can we go that isn't Argentina?"
Richard: "I want to see penguins"
Jeremy: "I know just the place"

cut to the trio looking at penguins in a mine field. "Pint" "Yep" - cut to the trio inside a nearby pub (taking down the pro-British trappings to just something small in the background), having a quiet pint and discussing their vehicles.

Beltway

#53
Quote from: cpzilliacus on November 06, 2015, 02:19:39 PM
Quote from: AlexandriaVA on October 30, 2015, 08:28:49 PM
The Appalachian highways are money pits that should have never been built. It would be better to pay for all of the Appalachia residents to move to higher-income lower-unemployment areas.
I disagree.  There are assets along these roads that are of benefit to the rest of the nation. 
In the case of Corridor H it includes state parks like Blackwater Falls, as well as the vast Monongahela National Forest.

The ADHS highways serve not just the rural areas, but they also provide modern highway connectivity to many towns and small cities that already had existed for 100 years or more.

The designated Appalachian Region is a large land area, about 6 times the area of West Virginia.  We can't just shut it down.

http://www.roadstothefuture.com
http://www.capital-beltway.com

Baloney is a reserved word on the Internet
    (Robert Coté, 2002)

theroadwayone

Quote from: english si on September 15, 2018, 08:42:05 AM
^^ They could do it north of the Argentine border, then make a comment that they aren't going to be allowed into Argentina after last time.

James: "where can we go that isn't Argentina?"
Richard: "I want to see penguins"
Jeremy: "I know just the place"

cut to the trio looking at penguins in a mine field. "Pint" "Yep" - cut to the trio inside a nearby pub (taking down the pro-British trappings to just something small in the background), having a quiet pint and discussing their vehicles.
Does that mean they're not coming on, then?

english si

Quote from: theroadwayone on September 15, 2018, 03:36:30 PMDoes that mean they're not coming on, then?
Merely going to the place where penguins live in minefields near pubs will annoy the Argies enough to ban the episode in their country. Saying it's not Argentina is enough to show that you are very much winding them up.

Explicitly picking a fight by dealing with a problem head on isn't their style (the worst was trying to get the others abused in the Deep South by painting slogans on their cars, which even they felt crossed a line). Also why I'd suggest playing down the pro-British trappings (eg in The Globe) - they don't need to rub it in by being explicit, just allude to it. No saying the F-word, just leave some hints.

After all, they went to Argentina and it was the subtle H982 FKL number plate that caused trouble (whether deliberate or not - and the evidence points to not). This isn't a Fawty Towers "don't mention the war!" situation - it's a literal "don't even mention mentioning the war" situation.

theroadwayone

Quote from: english si on September 15, 2018, 04:57:59 PM
Quote from: theroadwayone on September 15, 2018, 03:36:30 PMDoes that mean they're not coming on, then?
Merely going to the place where penguins live in minefields near pubs will annoy the Argies enough to ban the episode in their country. Saying it's not Argentina is enough to show that you are very much winding them up.

Explicitly picking a fight by dealing with a problem head on isn't their style (the worst was trying to get the others abused in the Deep South by painting slogans on their cars, which even they felt crossed a line). Also why I'd suggest playing down the pro-British trappings (eg in The Globe) - they don't need to rub it in by being explicit, just allude to it. No saying the F-word, just leave some hints.


After all, they went to Argentina and it was the subtle H982 FKL number plate that caused trouble (whether deliberate or not - and the evidence points to not). This isn't a Fawty Towers "don't mention the war!" situation - it's a literal "don't even mention mentioning the war" situation.

Not only that, but they changed the problem plate to H1 VAE. This might seem tame, save for the fact that doing so is illegal in Argentina. A year after all that happened, the Argies pushed for Clarkson to be extradited to face charges in their country, which didn't happen and likely never will.

Takumi

Quote
(the worst was trying to get the others abused in the Deep South by painting slogans on their cars, which even they felt crossed a line
They keep insisting that was unscripted, but the accent of the gas station manager sounded much more Midwest than Deep South.
Quote from: Rothman on July 15, 2021, 07:52:59 AM
Olive Garden must be stopped.  I must stop them.

Don't @ me. Seriously.

US 41

My proposal:

Designate all of US 83 as the Pan American highway from Laredo to the Canadian border.

In Canada designate SK 83 as the PAH up to TC 16. Have it follow TC 16 to AB 43. AB 43 turns into the Alaska highway once it enters BC.

While it is probably not the fastest route, it is the simplest route, which fits in well with the Pan American highway. If one were to drive from Laredo to Guatemala, one would not follow the Pan American highway south of Monterrey as it is no longer the fastest or best route to Guatemala.

(Side note: I've actually drove on the Pan American highway between Nuevo Laredo and Monterrey which is kind of cool.)
Visited States and Provinces:
USA (48)= All of Lower 48
Canada (5)= NB, NS, ON, PEI, QC
Mexico (9)= BCN, BCS, CHIH, COAH, DGO, NL, SON, SIN, TAM

oscar

my Hot Springs and Highways pages, with links to my roads sites:
http://www.alaskaroads.com/home.html

NE2

Is there an official route in South America? I can only find a lot of unrealiable tourism information.
pre-1945 Florida route log

I accept and respect your identity as long as it's not dumb shit like "identifying as a vaccinated attack helicopter".

kphoger

Quote from: NE2 on October 30, 2018, 01:29:06 PM
Is there an official route in South America? I can only find a lot of unrealiable tourism information.

That would take a bit of research, likely from each individual country.  But, for example, the MTC (Perú) officially refers to Ruta PE-1 (here and here) as the "Panamericana".
Keep right except to pass.  Yes.  You.
Visit scenic Orleans County, NY!
Male pronouns, please.

Quote from: Philip K. DickIf you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use them.

kphoger

Also, regarding the Pan-American Highway in the USA...

Quote from: American Motorist, Volumes 43-44, 1974
"Under the numerical guidelines of the present day, the U. S. Federal Highway Administration in 1966 decided after lengthy consultations on national and inter-American levels that the entire numbered Interstate System should be declared an integral part of the Pan American Highway..."

That's as far as I can read online due to copyright issues.  Does anyone on here have more insight into that?
Keep right except to pass.  Yes.  You.
Visit scenic Orleans County, NY!
Male pronouns, please.

Quote from: Philip K. DickIf you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use them.

NE2

QuoteAlaska is the northernmost area served by the System. The Alaska Highway starts near the Arctic Circle (originally called the Alcan Highway) and continues southeast through the Yukon territory of Canada to Dawson Creek in British Columbia. Construction began in 1942 and the route was opened to through traffic in 1943. Its rapid completion by the U. S. Bureau of Public Roads and the Corps of Engineers was due to the pressures of World War II and the need for an overland connection between Alaska and the United States. Under a bilateral agreement between the two nations, the U.S. expended about $140 million in construction costs while Canada contributed the right-of-way and certain materials and services. Canada assumed the cost of maintenance in its territory, and provided a through road on south through Edmonton and Calgary to the U. S. border in Montana.

Canada shows noteworthy highway development throughout the southern part of its enormous area, including a goodly share of multi-lane highways between the principal cities. It has a north-south connection in the Alaska Highway, and there are plans on the drafting boards for others as far as the Arctic ocean, but in general the scattered sparse population and difficult terrain and climate in the north have handicapped any large expansion. There is no specific route in Canada designated as "Pan American."  Canada is not a member of the Organization of American States (OAS) although it has participated for many years as a helpful observer in OAS technical discussions.

The imaginary line of the "spinal cord"  to and from Alaska intersects the Trans-Canada No. 1 and Alberta Highway No. 2 at Calgary. The Trans-Canada Highway is the longest of all national highways, following the most direct route across the southern part of the country, although still maintaining its scenic beauty. Famous cities, towns and villages are spread along its nearly 4,800-mile length, adding variety and interest to any journey.

The United States also has no single route labelled as the Pan American Highway and presumably never will have one, for obvious reasons. The wide availability of north-south connections across all of the states, and the rival promotional interests of state governments, Chambers of Commerce, official travel bureaus and the like make such a designation both unnecessary and impractical. Long past, except for certain named turnpikes or toll roads, are the early 1900's when a Lincoln Highway stretched from New York to San Francisco, a Yellowstone Trail from Boston to Seattle, and a Meridian Highway from Winnipeg in Canada to Laredo, Texas, among many others.

Under the numerical guidelines of the present day, the U. S. Federal Highway Administration in 1966 decided after lengthy consultations on national and inter-American levels that the entire numbered Interstate System should be declared an integral part of the Pan American Highway System. This interstate network, initially established in 1947 in accord with legislation enacted by Congress in 1944, now comprises 42,500 miles (66,000 kilometers) of multi-lane superhighways that connect almost all cities in the nation with over 50,000 population and carry more than 20 percent of total highway traffic.

Mexico has its own national highway network, rapidly expanding and improving remarkably. In 1971 the Mexican road system comprised less than 45,000 miles, mostly trunk roads, while by the end of 1973 the total had more than doubled, with construction of trunk roads not diminishing and increased funds being applied to feeder roads. The costs are being defrayed from Mexican resources.

All of the routes today bear numbers rather than names, and in common usage there is no single line that is now regarded as "The Pan American."  As a matter of fact, there are five principal points on the U. S.-Mexican border (see map) that channel international traffic to and from Mexico City and thus offer a choice of routes. The topography is such, however, that the shortest direct line between the two countries starts at Nuevo Laredo on the Texas border and leads due south through a dynamically developing region to the national capital on the high central plateau. On toward the southeast, topography and population combine to squeeze highways toward the Pacific coast, as is also the case in Central America.

Central America and Panama
This is the first sector of the System to bear by virtue of national statutes and international agreements an official name – the "Inter-American Highway."  It stretches along the Pacific slope of the continental divide through the six republics of Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama (crossing the Panama Canal by a high-level bridge built by the U. S. Government), a total distance of close to 1,500 miles–by coincidence, approximately the same as that for the shortest route through either Mexico or the contiguous United States. It traverses all of the capital cities except Tegucigalpa in Honduras, which is reached by a 60-mile paved road climbing inland from the Pacific coast.

First surveyed in the 1930's as an overland link between North America and Panama and opened to through traffic in 1963, the Inter-American Highway today carries passenger automobiles, buses and trucks on concrete or asphalt surfaces with bridges of modern design. For its construction, the U. S. government contributed more than $170 million and the six cooperating republics expended about $100 million. Altogether, the enterprise has been an outstanding example of intergovernmental cooperation in highway development and has greatly stimulated the rise to reality of the hemispheric system.

The Darien
From the outset, the largely unpopulated tropical rain forest in southeastern Panama and northwestern Colombia, with average annual rainfall over 100 inches, has stood as the most forbidding barrier to completion of the System. Now its ultimate conquest is well in sight, as a keystone to the hemispheric arch, thanks more to long-range policies of the cooperating countries than to immediate economic pressures.

This is the second portion of the System to bear a statutory name under U. S. legislation. Officially it is the "Darien Gap Highway,"  250 miles long, so designated by a 1970 act of the U. S. Congress authorizing expenditures of $100 million in U. S. funds, or two-thirds of the estimated total cost. The remaining $50 million will be provided by the governments of Panama and Colombia. Formal agreements to this effect were signed at Washington, D. C., in 1971, by representatives of the three nations.

Construction operations have been in progress in Panama since 1972, with contracting firms selected by competitive bidding and working under contracts awarded by the Panamanian highway department. In Colombia, the first contracts are expected to be awarded by the Colombian highway department late in 1974. Program supervision is by the U. S. Federal Highway Administration (F.H.W.A.) in both countries.

A biological problem that has been difficult of solution is the foot-and-mouth disease in cattle (aftosa), possible transmission of which via the new highway has aroused concern in Panama, Central America and elsewhere. Much work has been done by experts from the United States, Colombia and Panama, aimed at eventual eradication or control of the disease. Agreement has recently been reached on plans to establish quarantine zones in the form of national parks and forests on the Colombia-Panama border, together with other inspection and control measures in both countries.

Assuming that the three cooperating nations meet their annual commitments promptly, completion of an all-weather two-lane road for the entire Darien Gap Highway may be possible by the end of 1978, with a paved surface to follow. Meanwhile, travelers must use air or sea transport to by-pass the tropical rain forest. Air facilities for passengers are readily available; motor vehicles require the use of coastal or ocean-going vessels between seaports.

South America
The accompanying map reflects the prodigious development of highway connections in the major areas of South America during the last decade. All of these constitute essential parts of the System, just as important to the nation and their citizens as the spinal cord line. For the purpose of this simplified presentation, however, and only to make the vast picture more comprehensible, some of the connections are shown in the map legends as "nerve trunks."

The U. S. government has not made direct grants for any portions of the highways in those distant countries, although it has contributed largely to technical assistance projects and other activities. Funding generally has been through the resources of the individual countries and borrowings from international agencies.

The spinal cord, once past the Darien, extends from the mountains of Colombia and Ecuador (at elevations of 8,000 to 10,000 feet) to the narrow Pacific coastal plain skirting the Andes in Peru and Chile; then turns east across the mountain wall to Buenos Aires at sea level in Argentina; then across the 30-mile wide estuary of the Plata river by ferry to Montevideo in Uruguay (or by an alternative all-land route to Asuncion in Paraguay and thence east to the Atlantic coast); then to Rio de Janeiro and Brasilia, Brazil.

Some of the principal nerve trunks connecting with the spinal cord include the northern route from Bogota through Caracas to the Guianas on the Atlantic coast; the Trans-Andean from Lima to the Brazilian border at Pucallpa, linking up there with the Trans-Amazon across the extreme width of Brazil to the port of Recife; the La Paz-Buenos Aires connection; the Buenos Aires-Asuncion-Curitiba (port of Paranagua) route; and the line from Brasilia to Belem near the mouth of the Amazon.

As the map indicates, there are many other parts of South America that are served by connecting roads, through steadily developing areas–certainly a tempting invitation to adventurous exploration.
pre-1945 Florida route log

I accept and respect your identity as long as it's not dumb shit like "identifying as a vaccinated attack helicopter".

abefroman329

Quote from: english si on September 15, 2018, 04:57:59 PMthe worst was trying to get the others abused in the Deep South by painting slogans on their cars, which even they felt crossed a line
Oh, I'd say the one where they went to Vietnam and had a scooter painted with the American flag that also blared The Star-Spangled Banner was much worse.

My God, those three have conflicting feelings about the USA.

english si

Quote from: abefroman329 on October 30, 2018, 08:23:31 PMOh, I'd say the one where they went to Vietnam and had a scooter painted with the American flag that also blared The Star-Spangled Banner was much worse.
If you pay attention, the cuts were mostly obscuring the area around the scooter, and the emphasis was that it was a horrific punishment for having your bike break down.

The Deep South was saying 'lets see who can get the Rednecks annoyed the most with slogans, with the bonus of endangering a fellow presenter as Rednecks are violent', the Vietnam one was 'this is a terrible thing to do, we must keep our bikes going'.

The 'Nam one was antagonistic but it was designed to be a massive negative punishment, reflecting on the war being horrific, rather than anything negative about the Vietnamese people. The US one was slightly less antagonistic, but was designed to be a game revolving around making fun of Rednecks, and so much more about the insult of the natives.

theroadwayone

Quote from: abefroman329 on October 30, 2018, 08:23:31 PM
Quote from: english si on September 15, 2018, 04:57:59 PMthe worst was trying to get the others abused in the Deep South by painting slogans on their cars, which even they felt crossed a line
Oh, I'd say the one where they went to Vietnam and had a scooter painted with the American flag that also blared The Star-Spangled Banner was much worse.

My God, those three have conflicting feelings about the USA.

In the original cut, it played "Born In the USA" by Bruce Springsteen. Then Hammond points to the rolling thunder and then the nearby village (most of it's people) making their way down the road, and then Clarkson says "Children, if you're watching this at home and don't know why this is inappropriate, ask your parents."

theroadwayone

That, and the backup car has almost usually been something antagonistic to the challenge, or something they all dislike (such as the Beetle in the Botswana episode, or the Vauxhall Astra in the Middle East one.)

Stephane Dumas

I bump this thread by mentionning and sorry if someone else already posted it, then the Panamerican highway in Panama along with some others roads is on Streetview.
https://goo.gl/maps/GDC78r2urLLH444s5


US 41

#69
My cousin and I at one point had considered trying to drive all the way to Ushuaia from Indiana after I graduated high school. We quickly realized that we would have to ship our car from Colon, Panama to Cartagena, Columbia. If I remember correctly it was around $1000 USD to do it and you'd have to fly to Columbia to get the car.

In South America the route we would have taken is as followed.

In Columbia: HWY 90 to HWY 25 to Equador.
In Equador: HWY E35 across the country to Peru.
In Peru: HWY 1N / 1S across the country to Chile.
In Chile: HWY 5 south all the way to Hwy 199 (goes through Villarica) to Argentina border.
In Argentina: 60 to 23 to 40 to 3, cross Chile again on 257, continue on 3 to Ushuaia.

I'll likely never do any of that now since I focus exclusively on North America (US, CAN, MEX) but it was still a fun trip to plan out with my cousin. Chile was the country I found most interesting when exploring the place on GSV and I may end up traveling there one day at some point and I may drag my cousin there with me and we can drive the entire length of HWY 5.

We never drove to Panama either and quite honestly I think most of Central America, especially Honduras, is too dangerous for my liking. I'll drive down any major highway in Mexico any day, but Central America is super sketchy these days. The farthest south I'll probably ever make it is Puerto Madero, which is just south of Tapachula, Chiapas.

On a side note they now have street view in Panama which is new. Guatemala was added I think maybe two years ago and this is the first time I've seen Panama. So you can do a virtual tour if you want.
Visited States and Provinces:
USA (48)= All of Lower 48
Canada (5)= NB, NS, ON, PEI, QC
Mexico (9)= BCN, BCS, CHIH, COAH, DGO, NL, SON, SIN, TAM

hotdogPi

1. Chile is more developed than the rest of South and Central America, to the point that it could even be considered a first world country.

2. It's spelled Colombia.
Clinched, minus I-93 (I'm missing a few miles and my file is incorrect)

Traveled, plus US 13, 44, and 50, and several state routes

I will be in Burlington VT for the eclipse.

Daniel Fiddler

Quote from: 1 on August 27, 2021, 10:13:49 AM
1. Chile is more developed than the rest of South and Central America, to the point that it could even be considered a first world country.

Argentina and the metropolitan areas of Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Brasilia in Brazil (not as much the rest of Brazil) in South America and Panama in Central America are pretty well developed, I'd consider them first world too.

Alps

Quote from: Daniel Fiddler on August 27, 2021, 10:21:48 AM
Quote from: 1 on August 27, 2021, 10:13:49 AM
1. Chile is more developed than the rest of South and Central America, to the point that it could even be considered a first world country.

Argentina and the metropolitan areas of Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Brasilia in Brazil (not as much the rest of Brazil) in South America and Panama in Central America are pretty well developed, I'd consider them first world too.
Uruguay is in there as well.

Plutonic Panda

What are the chances the Darian Gap is ever closed?

Rothman

Quote from: Plutonic Panda on April 09, 2023, 12:34:02 AM
What are the chances the Darian Gap is ever closed?
Closed?  Isn't it always, essentially?
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.



Opinions expressed here on belong solely to the poster and do not represent or reflect the opinions or beliefs of AARoads, its creators and/or associates.