There Panamericana It is the larger road network which crosses the Americas, representing an infrastructure work of considerable extension and complexity. Overall it is long 30 000 kmextends from Prudhoe Bay in Alaska until Ushuaia in Argentine and cross 14 countries. The only interruption near the rainforest, for no more than 100 kmin which there are no asphalted roads, reaching remarkable altitudes, such as i 3 832 meters On the Uspallata pass, in Agentina. Think that George Meegan he traveled the entire walking distance in 2 425 days, entering the right in the Guinnes World Record.
Structure of the project and organization
Let’s start from the area North-American. In this area, Panamerica is not indicated and officially identified, instead taking into consideration the highways starting from Alaska Highway which, with a whole series of connections, leads to Nuevo Laredo in Mexico.
Reached in Mexicothe road system runs through all the states of Central America, passing precisely for their capital. The road system passes through Guatemala City, San Salvador, Managua, San José And Panama City, With the only exception of the capital of Honduras.
The last stretch you have it in Argentinewith a length of 3 045 kmstarting from the capital of the country up to Ushuaiain the large Isla (land of fire) which, according to the Argentine government, is the City in the south of the world.
History of the Panamerican road project
The dream of uniting American states is something that has been had since the 1800s. The first project, in fact, saw the light in the 1880presented by the United States government, which provided for the construction of a road network almost 11 thousand miles long, from New York to Buenos Aires.
This project never saw the light, and in fact, in 1923 with the V Panamerica Conference, held in Santiago del Chile, the project was canceled, and replaced with that of one highway. With an estimated cost of 55 million, the project should have connected Nuevo Lredo, Mexico, up to Colón, Panama. In the 1936 American states signed in Buenos Aires on Pan American HighwayThe treatise that – among other things – He gave the definitive green light to the project.
The first efforts of construction of the Panamericana concentrated in Alaska and Mexico. The latter country distinguished itself inaugurating its route in 1943, with the opening of a 960 kilometer road route. The Mexican road quickly became an attraction, so as to host the “Carrera Panamericana” from 1950, an international car race. However, the event was interrupted in 1954 due to the high number of fatal accidents.
Panamerica in mass culture
Panamericana, well beyond its role as a road infrastructure, has exercised a significant influence on the mass culture of the Americas. His path and the famous travel On the road which cross a variety of landscapes and communities, they inspired literary, cinematographic and musical works, becoming a symbols of adventure, discovery and connection between peoples.
In 1978, Tim Cahill and Garry Sowerby completed the entire journey in 23 days, 22 hours and 43 minutesscoring the time record in the car. Their company is told in the book “Road Fever”. Garry was certainly crazy about Tim and Garry who – between the 1977 and the 1983 – traveled the entire distance on foot in 2 425 days.
