AARoads Forum

National Boards => General Highway Talk => Traffic Control => Topic started by: roadman65 on September 05, 2018, 06:40:21 PM

Title: Pan American Highway
Post by: roadman65 on September 05, 2018, 06:40:21 PM
When I traveled to Texas, I used I-35 to go from Laredo to San Antonio as well as between OK and Denton along with I-35W into Fort Worth.  I noticed no shields for the highway that is supposed to be the longest motor road in the world.  In fact OK, KS, and MO also do not sign it on their parts of I-35 as well.  I am guessing its an implied route only and though real not so real in signing especially in the US.
Title: Re: Pan American Highway
Post by: MantyMadTown on September 05, 2018, 06:49:50 PM
Yeah there are so many routes linking Canada, Mexico, and the United States it's hard to define a single route as the Pan-American Highway. I think all of the major routes linking the three countries have separate names, like I-15 and the roads linking Las Vegas and Tuscon as part of the CANAMEX Corridor and the future I-69 as the NAFTA Superhighway.
Title: Re: Pan American Highway
Post by: roadman65 on September 05, 2018, 07:06:24 PM
I am surprised that I-5 is not it.  I-35, is way off for trade.  I-25 could be one as it would line better with some of the major mid Canada cities.
Title: Re: Pan American Highway
Post by: Road Hog on September 06, 2018, 12:25:05 AM
I-69 could be it, but not the entire route as proposed. It'll be the route that most closely connects the population centers of Eastern Canada with Mexico directly under a single shield, but that wandering boondoggle between Memphis and Shreveport is a dealbreaker. 
Title: Re: Pan American Highway
Post by: TheHighwayMan3561 on September 06, 2018, 12:49:59 AM
Isn't I-25 part of the Canusa Highway or something?
Title: Re: Pan American Highway
Post by: MantyMadTown on September 07, 2018, 12:54:02 AM
Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on September 06, 2018, 12:49:59 AM
Isn't I-25 part of the Canusa Highway or something?

It looks like it follows I-25 until you get to Cheyenne. Then it follows US 85 until you reach the Canadian border.
Title: Re: Pan American Highway
Post by: NE2 on September 07, 2018, 01:21:08 AM
There has never been an official PAH through the US.
Title: Re: Pan American Highway
Post by: Roadsguy on September 08, 2018, 08:55:35 PM
I think it'd be pretty cool to see the Pan-American Highway fully signed on BGSes and trailblazers like any other route.

But you'd need to actually get the states to agree on where it goes and actually sign it.
Title: Re: Pan American Highway
Post by: MCRoads on September 13, 2018, 09:07:17 PM
It's not the longest motorable road, there is a 100 mile stretch that has never, and probably will never get paved (due to local opposition including drug lords with guns, and Mother Nature).
Title: Re: Pan American Highway
Post by: MantyMadTown on September 13, 2018, 09:56:46 PM
Quote from: MCRoads on September 13, 2018, 09:07:17 PM
It's not the longest motorable road, there is a 100 mile stretch that has never, and probably will never get paved (due to local opposition including drug lords with guns, and Mother Nature).

Yeah it's called the DariƩn Gap. There's no point in building a road through there because doing so would destroy swampland and rainforest, not to mention destroying the livelihood of the indigenous people living there. Building a road there would also spread tropical diseases to North America which they haven't seen in decades.
Title: Re: Pan American Highway
Post by: Rothman on September 13, 2018, 11:03:56 PM
One road would destroy the livelihoods of indigenous peoples?  Someone has seen Medicine Man too many times. :D

I am more persuaded by the terrain and crime as real deterrents.
Title: Re: Pan American Highway
Post by: MantyMadTown on September 14, 2018, 12:51:30 AM
Quote from: Rothman on September 13, 2018, 11:03:56 PM
One road would destroy the livelihoods of indigenous peoples?  Someone has seen Medicine Man too many times. :D

I am more persuaded by the terrain and crime as real deterrents.

That's just what I read on Wikipedia. I'm guessing it's because of the environment being destroyed that would displace all the people living there that wouldn't be able to find another place to live.
Title: Re: Pan American Highway
Post by: Beltway on September 14, 2018, 03:52:35 AM
Wikipedia is only as good as its most recent editor, and I am not persuaded by the local human impact reasons.

The gap is about 65 miles, and half of that is swampland and half of that is very mountainous rain forest.  The main problem is that construction would be extremely expensive, and the traffic needs are not high enough to warrant the cost.
Title: Re: Pan American Highway
Post by: english si on September 14, 2018, 07:04:27 AM
Quote from: roadman65 on September 05, 2018, 07:06:24 PMI am surprised that I-5 is not it.
Err, have a look beyond the US borders...

At the Mexican end, it is aimed down the massive cul-de-sac of the Baja California peninsular. At the Canadian end, it's the wrong side of the Rockies.
Quote from: NE2 on September 07, 2018, 01:21:08 AMThere has never been an official PAH through the US.
Operative word being 'an', given the whole Interstate network is officially part of it.
Title: Re: Pan American Highway
Post by: MantyMadTown on September 14, 2018, 04:43:37 PM
Quote from: english si on September 14, 2018, 07:04:27 AM
Quote from: NE2 on September 07, 2018, 01:21:08 AMThere has never been an official PAH through the US.
Operative word being 'an', given the whole Interstate network is officially part of it.

Yeah that just sounds like a sad excuse to not designate an actual highway for it.
Title: Re: Pan American Highway
Post by: english si on September 15, 2018, 08:45:22 AM
^^ Indeed!

Not that Canada put in any effort...