Posted Wednesday, April 21, 2021 at 10:06pm

The History-and future-of hitting the road

Scott writes: Do you ever think about roads? Most of us climb into our cars every day and drive without really thinking about it. We go from point A to point B and really don’t consider what’s underneath us unless we hit a pothole or it’s snowing, or the surface underneath us for whatever reason is just nasty.
I ran across this article today while reading and found it to be extremely interesting. It covers the history of roads worldwide, to the future of what we’ll be driving on, and a lot in between.

Today’s streets have it harder than their ancestors did. Instead of feet, hooves, and wooden wheels, they shoulder semis and SUVs. As we’ve developed new ways to zip around, we’ve also changed the makeup of the routes on which we travel, transforming gravel paths into asphalt superhighways. Challenges such as extreme weather and carbon emissions mean our expressways must evolve even further, so engineers are turning to futuristic fixes to keep traffic flowing. Here’s the story behind that long and winding journey—and where it’s going next. Read more…