Roman Roads

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Roads
Horace Bushnell said, “All creative action, whether in government, industry, thought, or religion, creates roads” (Hulbert). Mobility has played a significant part in the evolution of humanity and civilizations. It continues to shape the direction of development by facilitating the transfer of ideas from one place to another. Roads are central to the existence of this mobility, and they play a significant in the rate of socioeconomic development experienced by a community, nation, or civilization. The development of roads has been perennial throughout history leading to the continued to the development of new technologies in road development. Consequently, new types of roads have been developed to serve different purposes thus increasing …show more content…

The rise of the Roman Empire also led to significant innovations in the technology and techniques used in building roads. The Romans built roads in all regions they conquered and used roads as their main transport avenue for military and economic purposes. Roman roads were characterized by their straightness and the use of hard stones as the primary building materials. The roads were built all across the Roman Empire, connecting cities across North Africa and Europe. The first use of tar in the construction of roads was recorded in the ancient regions around Baghdad and is dated to the 8th century AD. The use of tar revolutionized the manner in which roads were built, and the intrinsic characteristics of the roads thus improving their effectiveness and aesthetic …show more content…

Collectors provide more mobility than local roads and their purpose is to connect local roads to arterial roads. In rural areas collectors typically large roads that link to highways facilitating the transport of raw materials to manufacturing industries. In urban areas, collectors mainly link suburbs to highways and arterials. Compared to collectors arterials have a higher level of mobility than collectors and constitute of freeways, interstates, and highways that handle high levels of traffic. Arterials provide the highest levels of mobility, by facilitating high speeds and connecting areas across long distances without road

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