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The Death Road (Bolivia)
The North Yungas Road , also known as The Death Road, is a 61 to 69 km road
leading from La Paz to Coroico (Bolivia's capital, to the Amazon region) in the
Yungas region of Bolivia. It is legendary for its extreme danger: in 1995 the
Inter-American Development Bank christened it as the "world's most dangerous
road. " One estimate is that 200-300 travelers were killed yearly along the road
. The road includes crosses marking many of the spots where such vehicles have
fallen.
At the end of 2006, after 20 years of construction , a new road (a by-pass) from
La Paz to Coroico was opened to public. This new route features modern
construction (bridges, drainage, etc.), multiple lanes, pavement, guardrails and
many other elements that make it considerably safer than the original route. As
a result, the original North Yungas Road is currently much less used by traffic
, although an increasing number of adventure travelers bike it for the thrills.
Guoliang Tunnel Road (China)
The road in Taihang mountains was built by local villagers: it took five years
to finish the 1,200 metre long tunnel which is about 5 meters high and 4 meters
wide. Some of the villagers died in accidents during construction ; undaunted,
the others continued. On May 1, 1977, the tunnel was opened to traffic . It is
located in the Taihang Mountains, in the Hunan Province of China.
Ruta 5: Arica to Iquique Road (Chile)
The road from Arica to Iquique is renowned for being dangerous ; you drive past
very deep valleys and wind your way through, spotting ever so often tell-tale
vehicle skeletons at the bottom. The few times you can see cars and buses
passing by, they were doing so at such a speed that you may think they are
either tempting fate very foolishly or perhaps they are just ghosts whizzing
past. The mono-hued and isolated scenery is well capable of endowing you with
the capacity to have such visions, so concentrating and avoiding the use of any
form of hallucinatory substance is essential here.
Siberian Road to Yakutsk (Russia)
The Russian Federal Highway connects Moscow to Yakutsk, where the coldest
temperature ever recorded outside Antarctica was recorded. Yakutsk is also the
largest city built on continuous permafrost. Most houses are built on concrete
piles because of the frozen ground.
What does all this have to do with being one of the world's most dangerous
roads? Well, during the winter, which is approximately ten months long, driving
in and out of Yakutsk is subject to heavy snow, ice, and reduced visibility.
However, winter road conditions are a picnic compared to trying to navigate the
Russian Federal Highway on July and August. Though many Siberian residents will
tell you the highway is not paved to keep the Germans out (a tired World War II
era joke), the truth is because of the permafrost there is no asphalt, creating
a mud induced traffic jam every time the summer rains swing Yakutsk's way. Near
thousand car traffic jams are not unheard of and during these back ups and
travelers might pass the time while stuck in Siberian traffic by looting,
beating, and kidnapping other travelers . Siberian mud pirates.
Sichuan-Tibet Highway (China)
In China, the number of deaths caused by car accidents has nearly doubled in the
past 20 years, climbing from 3.9 to 7.6 per 100,000 of the population between
1985 and 2005. The Sichuan-Tibet Highway , a high-elevation road between Chengdu
and Tibet where landslides and rock avalanches are common, is undoubtedly part
of the problem.
The 2,412km long Sichuan-Tibet Highway starts from Chengdu of Sichuan on the
east and ends at Lhasa of Tibet on the west. The road stretches into Lhasa
passing Ya’an, Garze and Chamdo. Sichuan-Tibet highway traverses 14 high
mountains which average 4,000-5000m, spans dozens of famous rivers (Dadu River,
Jinsha River, Lantsang River, Nujiang), crosses primeval forest and numerous
dangerous sections. It has spectacular views along the line, with unique ethnic
customs.
James Dalton Highway (Alaska)
The James Dalton Highway is a 414-mile gravel road. It heads straight north from
the Livengood turnoff of the Elliott Highway, through arctic tundra to the
farthest north reaches of Alaska. Alyeska built the 360-mile haul road, now
known as the Dalton Highway, from the Yukon River to Prudhoe Bay, for $150
million to supply the oil facilities on the North Slope. The pipeline bridge
across the 1,875 mile Yukon River is the only span across that river in Alaska.
But this is not a road for the faint of heart, or those with a brand-new
vehicle! It is still the main supply route for the Prudhoe Bay oilfields, and
you will be sharing the road with large tractor-trailers. Windshields and
headlights are easy targets of flying rocks. Most rental companies will not
allow you to drive their cars on the Dalton. Trucks speeding along the slippery
gravel track kick up thick clouds of dust or mud, reducing visibility to
absolute zero ; potholes take a heavy toll on cars and services, gas, and
repairs are practically nonexistent. Don't even consider driving the Dalton
unless you have 4-wheel drive, a CB radio, extra fuel, food, tires, and a trunk
filled with supplies.
Patiopoulo-Perdikak i Road (Greece)
This is a narrow busy dirt track that stretches from Patiopoulo to Perdikaki in
Greece. This road is a steep climb or decent, it is dangerous because it has
huge pot holes and very little grip for the vehicles that travel on it. It is a
narrow road with a sheer drop on either side of its slope with no guard rails or
an prevention to stop a vehicle from going over. Many people die on his road
every year, it is used by pedestrians, livestock and trucks, buses and cars. A
very dangerous road that has gravel for grip in most places and there are no
lines to determine where the edge is, this is especially dangerous at night,
most of the accidents happen at night on this road.
Trollstigen (Norway)
Trollstigen (The Troll Ladder) is a mountain road in Rauma, Norway, part of
Norwegian National Road 63 connecting Åndalsnes in Rauma and Valldal in Norddal.
A popular tourist attraction due to its steep incline of 9% and eleven hairpin
bends up a steep mountain side, the road up is narrow with many sharp bends, and
although it has been widened in recent years, vehicles over 12.4 meters long are
prohibited from driving the road . At the top there is large parking place which
allows visitors to leave their cars and walk for about ten minutes to a viewing
balcony which overlooks the road with its bends and the Stigfossen waterfall.
Stigfossen is a beautiful waterfall which falls 320 meters down the mountain
side.
Stelvio Pass Road Trollstigen (Italy)
The highest paved mountain pass in the Eastern Alps --and the second highest in
the Alps, after the Col de l'Iseran (2770 m)--, the Stelvio Pass Road connects
the Valtellina with the upper Adige valley and Merano. It is located in the
Italian Alps, near Bormio and Sulden, 75 km from Bolzano, close to Swiss border.
While it might not be as risky as other deadly routes, it's certainly
breathtaking. The tour books advise that the toughest and most spectacular
climbing is from the Prato side, Bormio side approach is more tame. With 48
hairpins, this road is regarded as one of the finest continuous hairpin routes
in the Alps.
The A682 Road (England)
The A682 between junction 13 of the M65 and Long Preston is the worst road in England as it has claimed almost 100 fatalities over the last ten years. The 14 mile single lane A682 between junction 13 of the M65 near Nelson, Lancs, and Long Preston in North Yorkshire, had 22 serious accidents in the past three years - two of them fatal. Experts say it has an average of 0.5 deaths per 10 miles annually. It is a favorite for motorcyclists, especially early on a Sunday morning.
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