^^ At the same time cars smaller than the former compact cars have been introduced. But its true, cars where you barely fit into are not very common anymore. But many cars, especially in the US are quite a bit larger than they'd need to bit to offer sufficient space for the people.

Also, bigger doesn't mean that it's more comfortable. Passenger comfort relies on the suspension and American cars tend to have far softer suspension than European cars.

USA highways are more appealing to the eyes. Interstates look so nice. Not just the actual highway, but the sound barriers, concrete barriers, overpasses, grass and trees.

^^ My opinion is totally opposite - US highways are impressive, but quite ugly visually.

USA highways are more appealing to the eyes. Interstates look so nice. Not just the actual highway, but the sound barriers, concrete barriers, overpasses, grass and trees.

I agree. That's why some of my favorite highways in Sweden are the ones that look like your average rural interstate.

Examples:

E4 between Tierp and Uppsala. Concrete pavement, wide grassy median and cops in Chevys :)

http://img802.imageshack.us/img802/6869/tierp.png



http://img638.imageshack.us/img638/557/deshg.png



http://img823.imageshack.us/img823/8608/namnlsb.png

I agree. That's why some of my favorite highways in Sweden are the ones that look like your average rural interstate.

Examples:

E4 between Tierp and Uppsala. Concrete pavement, wide grassy median and cops in Chevys :)

http://img802.imageshack.us/img802/6869/tierp.png




Was this originally an U turn interchange?

Was this originally an U turn interchange?

No. The road was opened in 2007. Turning points for emergency vehicles are common in Sweden.

Clever! :cheers: Never seen thoose over here.

Clever! :cheers: Never seen thoose over here.

They're common in the States but they're much more crude in construction, just a simple gravel path across the median, with a small "authorized vehicles only" sign, and sometimes hidden by bushes so the police can hide and run radar checks.

They are in every country i think. You find them on every motorway in Norway to Norsko, sometimes with removable fence, sometimes with cones and sometimes with a raising gate. Used for running trafic from one side to the other during roadworks, but also by police.

Here is one on E6 with a raising gate:
http://maps.google.no/?ie=UTF8&ll=59.52631,10.729523&spn=0.015366,0.055189&z=14&layer=c&cbll=59.526365,10.7295&panoid=Lx8iS4n5UDqScqXcKpB6WA&cbp=12,117.47,,0,12.04

^^ My opinion is totally opposite - US highways are impressive, but quite ugly visually.
Indeed.

Here's an example of how European (in this case Swedish) motorways are more eye appealing, compared to often very straight, cut-through US highways.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5e/E4%2C_Nyk%C3%B6ping_2009.jpg

Okay, look at Piotr71's pictures of the road between Lille and Dunkerque, and find pictures of mountain stretches of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, and tell me which is more "visually appealing" (and "straight"). Or alternatively, someone could just lock this fricking thread. OR we could leave it open but stop making ridiculous generalizations based on selected single stretches of road.

where is that picture

where is that picture

E4, just east of Nyköping, Sweden, looking Northeast.

Okay, look at Piotr71's pictures of the road between Lille and Dunkerque, and find pictures of mountain stretches of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, and tell me which is more "visually appealing" (and "straight"). Or alternatively, someone could just lock this fricking thread. OR we could leave it open but stop making ridiculous generalizations based on selected single stretches of road.

+1 The Pennsylvania Turnpike is anything but straight.

^^ My opinion is totally opposite - US highways are impressive, but quite ugly visually.

:lol::lol::lol:

When I said USA's highways are more visually appealing than europes I was actually talking about the urban areas. The US invests a lot in making the land surrounding the highways aesthetically pleasing, including planted trees, cultured lawns, and sound barriers with interesting murals on them. Plus they use cement barriers for the majority of their highways which IMO are much better looking than Europe's steel railings.

But if you want appealing highways out in the country, check out Virginia's "corridor H". Its incredible. Note the way they made the overpasses connect seemlessly with road surface.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_K-H2PXwzWGQ/TB7HF9aFibI/AAAAAAAAIXU/rxmtGpgpEP0/s1600/1921wv55.jpg

gm03UezpIpo

^^
(Psst. That's West Virginia, actually. The two states don't like being confused for each other. Particularly since the northwestern part of Virginia reacted to Virginia's seceding from the Union - 150 years ago last month - by saying "screw that" and seceding from Virginia to stay in the Union. So they were actually on opposite sides in the Civil War, and had more than their share of the fighting on their territory. Just a little history lesson. If you don't believe me, ask Nerdly. :) )

Interesting you should say that: just this afternoon, we learned that North American cities don't have trees: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1375871

haha there are a lot of trees

I-405 in Bothell, WA

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_jof4glnm7XA/TcnRuDUHH-I/AAAAAAAAOF0/wM5SLdFv1o8/IMG_20110510_155903.jpg

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_jof4glnm7XA/TcnRyeJKKTI/AAAAAAAAOHM/3AqrEjRsycc/IMG_20110510_160229.jpg

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_jof4glnm7XA/TcnR00Hv8aI/AAAAAAAAOH8/HfMCAvOegBA/IMG_20110510_160335.jpg

Golden Gardens Park in Seattle

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_jof4glnm7XA/TcnTyOpUhPI/AAAAAAAAOWs/8mF8IlknwDI/IMG_20110510_151720.jpg

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_jof4glnm7XA/TcnTzQ3mQ_I/AAAAAAAAOXE/c3ehcLOpikc/IMG_20110510_151751.jpg

^^
(Psst. That's West Virginia, actually. The two states don't like being confused for each other. Particularly since the northwestern part of Virginia reacted to Virginia's seceding from the Union - 150 years ago last month - by saying "screw that" and seceding from Virginia to stay in the Union. So they were actually on opposite sides in the Civil War, and had more than their share of the fighting on their territory. Just a little history lesson. If you don't believe me, ask Nerdly. :) )

Interesting you should say that: just this afternoon, we learned that North American cities don't have trees: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1375871

Where in Houston is that interchange? I'm willing to bet there actually ARE trees that can be spotted in the area once construction is finished

There is really no point in fighting about who can find a more eye appealing highway, c'mon now. Both - the US and the EU have their very ugly highways and really nice highways..

New York also has some scenic highways. Check out my 4-year-old post (the first one in the since-renamed "Roadtrips" thread):
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=884918

(You'll have to scroll down a bit)

^^ My opinion is totally opposite - US highways are impressive, but quite ugly visually.

That has always been my impression as well. Americans do what they need to do to make their roads work. They always start from a practical point of view while the esthetic part has always been an important factor in Europe.

Belgian highways are some of worst in Western Europe.

Let me correct that into Wallonian highways. I agree we have bad maintenance overall. But Wallonian higways are far worse the highways in Flanders. The border can be seen very clear.

In this vid got to 2.10 and press play.

viq7qGz6_C8&feature=player_embedded

I don't agree on the U.S. highways being ugly. For a large part, that's what shown on television, like the aged Los Angeles and New York highway systems where no new freeways were built in the past 30 years. Some DOT's do indeed spend a lot of effort on making a new project aesthetically pleasing.

^^But US highways aren't older than European ones...

^^But US highways aren't older than European ones...

About 90 percent of the Interstate system, as it now stands, was open by 1980. Many if not most of their French and Spanish counterparts are newer.

^^Yes but most of the Benelux and Germany was already like it is now in the 70ties no?

On the other hand, the Italian, German, British, Belgian and Dutch networks were nearly completed by that time. Age should not be of influence. We don't build motorways which are subsequently left to deteriorate without proper maintenance.

European motorist taxes frequently bring in 2 - 6 times more than they spend on the highway system. On the other hand, American motorist taxes do not get further than 75%. Hence, nearly all improvement nowadays seem to be toll roads.

I'd rather pay a somewhat higher gas tax than tolls. Do you know how much it costs to cross through France? Over € 70 or almost $ 100. One way!

^^Yes but most of the Benelux and Germany was already like it is now in the 70ties no?

That, I don't know enough to talk about with confidence. Which is why I limited my statement to France and Spain. :)

On the other hand, the Italian, German, British, Belgian and Dutch networks were nearly completed by that time. Age should not be of influence. We don't build motorways which are subsequently left to deteriorate without proper maintenance.

European motorist taxes frequently bring in 2 - 6 times more they spend on the highway system. On the other hand, American motorist taxes do not get further than 75%. Hence, nearly all improvement nowadays seem to be toll roads.

I'd rather pay a somewhat higher gas tax than tolls. Do you know how much it costs to cross through France? Over € 70 or almost $ 100. One way!

- Sorry about doing consecutive posts again - [hangs head in shame]

The age of the roads came up a few posts back in the context of design, not maintenance.

That has always been my impression as well. Americans do what they need to do to make their roads work. They always start from a practical point of view while the esthetic part has always been an important factor in Europe.

:lol::lol::lol:
More European anti-Americanism, how original.

Let's see, public transport, public health, crime, and, last but not least, soccer all better in Europe.

The age of the highway doesn't weight on how aesthetically pleasing it is. Lots of Michigan's interstates were opened a long time ago, yet they still look great. They made a point of it to make the highways aesthetically pleasing back then too. I love how I-94 through metro detroit is sunken into the ground and surrounded by grassy hills on each side with nice trees. Add some new pavement and some nice big cement barriers in the middle and it doesn't get better than that IMO

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5030/5671456742_be372df2e7_b.jpg

Look at this pic Nexis took. Everything is such high quality. The cement, the lamp poles, the cultured lawn, everything. Europe doesn't have this quality

Is this in Detroit?

I really like what I see @VoltAmps, but we do have roads of similar quality as well. Luckily :)

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5030/5671456742_be372df2e7_b.jpg

Look at this pic Nexis took. Everything is such high quality. The cement, the lamp poles, the cultured lawn, everything. Europe doesn't have this quality

LOL , yea thats the New Urban Jersey Highway standard. But i'm pretty sure Europe does have that quality , infact the redesign of this highway was based off some European ones. The City is mostly European....so they tend to have nicer roads and Railways...

Abit off-topic, but for those who have been to malaysia, how do Malaysian highways/ interstate roads fare compared to Europe & US ?

Look at this pic Nexis took. Everything is such high quality. The cement, the lamp poles, the cultured lawn, everything. Europe doesn't have this quality

Luckily for us, we do offer this quality (and more)...

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_5hyF1em0ZBw/TJaO9MunJdI/AAAAAAAAFl0/axfNbdNvkfc/s800/100_0756.JPG

Especially the Dutch are very strict in making everything look perfect
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_kl7V_3i15g8/TbmH7dKom6I/AAAAAAAAHFk/I87FROlwNgk/s800/P1080222.jpg
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_kl7V_3i15g8/TbmIBQxgzTI/AAAAAAAAHGM/lh_fMYg7Y54/s800/P1080232.RW2.jpg

Speaking about Europe. Is Madrid the european city with most Motorway Kilometers?.

Sounds plausible. Lisbon, Frankfurt and Paris would also be high on such a list.

^^ What about Berlin and Moscow?

Sounds plausible. Lisbon, Frankfurt and Paris would also be high on such a list.

Thanks for the answer. It's just that if you see Google Maps, Madrid has so much Motorways, in proportion of its area. The Motorway density, I think its the biggest in the world, perhaps bigger than American Cities; I don't know if this is correct, it's just a guess.

Paris and Frankfurt are cities with larger area than Madrid, that's why you can't see the same density.

Regards.

I don't agree on the U.S. highways being ugly. For a large part, that's what shown on televisionI see 99% of pics of US highways on SSC, not TV, so I know what they look like.

I see 99% of pics of US highways on SSC, not TV, so I know what they look like.

Have you seen 99% of all american highways?

No, my statement says something else. Anyway, it's just my opinion, so I don't know why you're so upset about it.

Though not a city in a true sense, the Rhein-Ruhr area in Germany has a very high Motorway density as well. (And we're talking about a pretty large area with a high density.)

Maybe the Pearl River Delta (Hong Kong - Shenzhen - Guangzhou) or Keihanshin (Osaka - Kobe - Kyoto). These are polycentric. The Seoul region is also becoming somewhat more polycentric.

That's what I said.

Must've "had said" (enormous difference ;) ). Plus realistically, ⅓ of driving N-Americans drive SUVs, not "everyone (http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=pratt)".

Must've "had said".

Huh?

Must've "had said" (enormous difference ;) ). Plus realistically, ⅓ of driving N-Americans drive SUVs, not "everyone (http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=pratt)".

I have no idea what you're trying to say.

You could expand that to include all of NRW, Belgium and NL. Certainly not in any way comparable to a city like Madrid, but is there any other area in the world that can be compared to it?

So I guess, We all agree. Madrid is the city with the highest Motorway Density of the World.

Some American Cities have a lot of Motorway Kilometers, like LA, Houston, or Dallas, but the city area is larger than any European City; so the Motorway density tend to be smaller than a city like Madrid, or even Paris and Frankfurth. Eventhought I see that Dallas-FW area has more motorway density than LA.

That is my perception.

Regards.

So I guess, We all agree. Madrid is the city with the highest Motorway Density of the World.

Some American Cities have a lot of Motorway Kilometers, like LA, Houston, or Dallas, but the city area is larger than any European City; so the Motorway density tend to be smaller than a city like Madrid, or even Paris and Frankfurth. Eventhought I see that Dallas-FW area has more motorway density than LA.

That is my perception.

Regards.

We don't all agree. (Or disagree, necessarily.) Density, in this context, would be a product of the length of motorway and the land area involved. The problem is determining the land-area side of the equation. I don't know Madrid's geography, so how about Paris? The actual city limits only include the Périphérique and the very last meters of the A1, A3, etc. Which isn't high-density at all. So we take the metropolitan area. Which is totally reasonable, but does it have a set definition? Depending on where you say the metropolitan area ends (do you take the entire political entity of the "Région Île-de-France"? Do you eliminate the parts of it that are still in fact rural? If so, you could debate about places that are on the edge of the urban/suburban area... Do you go with government definitions, which are going to vary from one country to the next?), you'll get very different land areas. So I don't see how we answer your question without agreeing on a consistent definition of "city" (really metropolitan area) first.

^^ You're so horribly complicated. How about it doesn't matter how big a city is? If there's no city, there won't be many motorways, I guess. So when you see a bunch of motorways somewhere on a map (probably a big city hiding there), just draw a circle around them or sth and there you have your area.

^^ You're so horribly complicated. How about it doesn't matter how big a city is? If there's no city, there won't be many motorways, I guess. So when you see a bunch of motorways somewhere on a map (probably a big city hiding there), just draw a circle around them or sth and there you have your area.

Well, excuse me! I was trying to answer the question I thought he was asking. No one forced you to read my complicated post.

Can't you compare densities just by looking at a map anyway?

Can't you compare densities just by looking at a map anyway?

Density - as I'm defining it and as the person who asked the question did - is a product of kilometers (or miles) and area. See his post (I'm responsible for bolding part of it): "Some American Cities have a lot of Motorway Kilometers, like LA, Houston, or Dallas, but the city area is larger than any European City; so the Motorway density tend to be smaller than a city like Madrid, or even Paris and Frankfurth."

Hence my post that bothered you so....

They have no idea how American cities are spread. LA area is 120 miles (200 km) from north to south and probably 100 miles (160 km) from west to east. Seattle (15th largest area in the US) is longer and wider than Madrid - 75 miles (120 km) from north to south and 25 miles (40 km) from west to east. Most Americans live in houses while most Europeans live in apartments in tall buildings.

Most Americans live in houses while most Europeans live in apartments in tall buildings.

I think you have to improve your image of Europe. :lol:

^^Agree :lol:

Housing conditions: Distribution of population by dwelling type

http://i962.photobucket.com/albums/ae110/ciceron01/Housing_conditions_Distribution_of_population_by_dwelling_type__2008_2010-08-23_171516.png

:)

Many European cities have tunnels running under them. They're often conflict free and operate as underground expressways. The reason these tunnels were built is because of the historic value of the cities

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g92/Benonie/Brussel/jubelpark/Jubelpark242.jpg

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g92/Benonie/Brussel/jubelpark/Jubelpark197.jpg

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g92/Benonie/Brussel/jubelpark/Jubelpark163.jpg

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g92/Benonie/Brussel/jubelpark/Jubelpark179.jpg

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g92/Benonie/Brussel/jubelpark/Jubelpark190.jpg

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g92/Benonie/Brussel/jubelpark/Jubelpark192.jpg

Kudo's to Benonie for the photo's

:)

For example you can see Madrid, M-30 highway ringroad and underground with 43 Km.

Before/after

http://img358.imageshack.us/img358/8771/byn13wi0.jpg


http://img180.imageshack.us/img180/9744/img3987f480a8egs8.jpg

http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/8509/img3847hv0.jpg

http://img252.imageshack.us/img252/2702/img4003f480c50pq5.jpg

http://img105.imageshack.us/img105/4396/img3978f48682amb9.jpg


http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c209/esaalto/Ptoledo1.jpg

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c209/esaalto/m30tunel02.jpg

a video :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEalKZRpyl4

We have plans to cover alot of Urban Freeways , not so much as boring a Tunnel but covering a Cut with a lid park. Alot of towns and cities were divided by highways , so lid parks are a way of uniting those towns and cities together again and there gaining steam. Trenton was the first Jersey City to get one along a Small Waterfront section of NJ 29.

I-676 in Center City Philly
I-287/87 in Nyack > Park / Transit station
I-280 in West / East Orange & Newark - Park / Busway on the Freeway
I-78 in Newark
I-95 in Bronx , still in proposed staged
I-90 / NEC in Boston
I-278 in Brooklyn
NY-27 in Brooklyn

NJ 29 Tunnel in Trenton

Northbound
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2574/3687324452_bc37f1557c_o.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/steelyankee/3687324452/)
NJ-Trenton Tunnel 2008-1127 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/steelyankee/3687324452/) by SteelYankee (http://www.flickr.com/people/steelyankee/), on Flickr

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5024/5600373146_4a47c99303_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/94681647@N00/5600373146/)
The other end.. (http://www.flickr.com/photos/94681647@N00/5600373146/) by madhu.kartha (http://www.flickr.com/people/94681647@N00/), on Flickr

Southbound

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2560/4158318293_96b014ee43_o.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/dougtone/4158318293/)
New Jersey State Route 29 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/dougtone/4158318293/) by dougtone (http://www.flickr.com/people/dougtone/), on Flickr

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2559/4159081586_9c33ac5394_o.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/dougtone/4159081586/)
New Jersey State Route 29 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/dougtone/4159081586/) by dougtone (http://www.flickr.com/people/dougtone/), on Flickr

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2719/4159081630_1e841b0ce1_o.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/dougtone/4159081630/)
New Jersey State Route 29 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/dougtone/4159081630/) by dougtone (http://www.flickr.com/people/dougtone/), on Flickr

Needs no introduction:
http://i.imgur.com/3ot6z.png

They do wanna cover the 101 in Downtown LA, which would be great!

http://inhabitat.com/greening-downtown-los-angeles-park-101/

I hope this is gonna happen sooner than later.

Montreal in Canada has a few underground motorways.

In Toronto one of the proposals for the Gardiner Expressway has always been to bury it as well, but since we will never actually have money for it (and I must admit that expanding our public transit should be a higher priority at this time) this won't be done anytime in the foreseeable future.

Montreal has only the Ville-marie (http://www.grimard.ca/image/pcm/p13_tlhl.jpg) and the Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine (http://www.memorablemontreal.com/accessibleQA/en/bridges/?id=178) tunnels, while the NDG (http://www.geniusconseil.com/en/img/projets/v-tra-017.jpg) and the Dorval (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3225/3106718167_da536a2ec3.jpg) tunnels are just short, entrenched cut-and-cover underpasses. And as far as having any of -- -- -- these:
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g92/Benonie/Brussel/jubelpark/Jubelpark179.jpg
the only instance I can think of is where Berri Street's sunk under Sherbrook Street East (http://i939.photobucket.com/albums/ad236/trainrover/Berriunderpass.jpg) (the Pine/Park interchange has been gone a few years now).

Besides, Montreal's network's crumbling, disintegrating...the island's state of affairs nears nowhere close to the stellar-appearing infrastructure posted above: maybe Montreal might be better at trains instead :dunno:
(the appearance of the historic Trenton one shames me!!)

By the way, I do wonder at the state of British Columbia's Delta tunnel in this day & age ;)

About 90 percent of the Interstate system, as it now stands, was open by 1980. Many if not most of their French and Spanish counterparts are newer.

Most of the UK system was built 1958-1978

Age doesn't matter. Roads can be maintained, you know.

Don't these tunnels suffer the problem of flooding from rainwater?

Don't these tunnels suffer the problem of flooding from rainwater?
Only if there isn't a proper drainage system in place.

^^
Which every tunnel in a modern western country has since the 1920's.

^^^Lets not forget that Tall_dreams is from India and that rains overthere are more severe than here.
Or do you forget tunnels ofthen do flood when a big thunderstorm hits?

The tunnels I know never do :p
And with the current weather we're having I can barely remember how rain looks like ;)

I remember more than once that Tunnels i nBrussels flooded because of big rainfall during a thunderstorm. Yes we really need rain! Grass is going all brown...

Age doesn't matter. Roads can be maintained, you know.

I repeat: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=77604755&postcount=1288

Belgium

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-cbLi-X9s5R4/TeKDuyz_VbI/AAAAAAAAIp8/ukKRLvRHFqQ/s800/100_4091.JPG

Is it true that every km of a motorway in Belgium is lighted?

There are 2 motorways that aren't completely lit but they do have the extensive exit lighting other motorways have as well. The motorways that have lighting are lit all the way like in the picture.

Video
jjXP5bPrs1s

^^
Which every tunnel in a modern western country has since the 1920's.

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00792/flood-belfast_792172i.jpg

Belfast quite recently

Is it true that every km of a motorway in Belgium is lighted?
No, it's not true.

^^
Almost, only a couple haven't got the extensive median lighting like the ones that are light. They do have the same exit lighting as the lighted freeways.
So yes, I would say that 80% of the Belgian motorway network is fully lighted.

^^
Almost, only a couple haven't got the extensive median lighting like the ones that are light. They do have the same exit lighting as the lighted freeways.
So yes, I would say that 80% of the Belgian motorway network is fully lighted.
80% of the network might have lights installed. Actually lit is just a fraction of that.

In the night (between 1 and 5 am) the highways aren't lit... and I dare to say that 90% at least is lit...

^^
Indeed, when there are lights installed, they are working.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-JQdKEY4dyeg/Teu01igTRbI/AAAAAAAAI2g/_yXISkQm6r8/s800/100_4297.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-DmI2NQW3g5o/Teuz-FZWa0I/AAAAAAAAIuE/NG9tD_J6fiQ/s800/100_4166.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Q19vUXUl5I0/Teuz_JW3cwI/AAAAAAAAIuM/xzovpGEZmIU/s800/100_4168.JPG

Norway has 97 % of fully lit motorways, only small test-stretches has guide-lights instead. So we're "better" than Eu and Usa... :nuts:

(And our lights stay on all night.)

Norway has 97 % of fully lit motorways, only small test-stretches has guide-lights instead. So we're "better" than Eu and Usa... :nuts:

(And our lights stay on all night.)
However, Norwegian motorways make up only a fraction of the road network... :lol:

3,5 % of our national-road network actually :)

^^
Which still isn't more than a fraction :)

Hi

I`m from Switzerland, and I`m in San Diego since 2.5 months.
I love the Interstates and the US Highways!

Some HD Videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N350vW240F8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ous84OTN0fk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbKcu3DUu2Y

Ilove it!

Thanks for the answer. It's just that if you see Google Maps, Madrid has so much Motorways, in proportion of its area. The Motorway density, I think its the biggest in the world, perhaps bigger than American Cities; I don't know if this is correct, it's just a guess.

Paris and Frankfurt are cities with larger area than Madrid, that's why you can't see the same density.

Regards.

^^ Tehran has the most urban expressways and motorways per area in the world I think. You can't see it in google maps because it is colored in yellow but you can see the map in here:
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1435286

Best highways EU vs USA... with so many Belgians on this thread, USA is bound to come out as the winner ...

Oh, who resurrected this thread?

Hi

I`m from Switzerland, and I`m in San Diego since 2.5 months.
I love the Interstates and the US Highways!

Some HD Videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N350vW240F8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ous84OTN0fk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbKcu3DUu2Y

Ilove it!

Ty! nice videos, the pavement doesn't look very nice though, although I guess concrete is cheaper. How many lanes does the first video have? 8? amazing... anyway, nice music choice too hehe :cheers:

actually concrete is a lot more expensive and durable

actually concrete is a lot more expensive and durable

really? is it? how so? All concrete highways I've used seemed to be in a much worse shape than asphalt highways.

Does it have something to do with extreme temperature changes?

That's most likely because concrete motorways tend to be decades old, and asphalt pavements are generally not older than 10 years.

In generall concrete pavements are around 40% more expensive comparing to asphalt ones, but their are as @Botev1912 said more durable - up to 40 years factual without pavement' maintenance. The concrete motorways which were built lets say after 1990 have higher quality because of the imroved standarts and technology and technical equipment. For instance most of the East Germany' motorways are made with concrete, because it is considered it is more economical expedient.

really? is it? how so? All concrete highways I've used seemed to be in a much worse shape than asphalt highways.

Does it have something to do with extreme temperature changes?
the only reason is because most of them are more than 40-50 years old. I have driven on a concrete road made a couple years ago, and it was perfect and the technology is way better than the one 50 years ago.

Hi

I`m from Switzerland, and I`m in San Diego since 2.5 months.
I love the Interstates and the US Highways!

San Diego does have the best freeway system in California. There has been a lot of new roadbuilding in recent decades, unlike anywhere else in the state, resulting in multiple north-south and east-west routes. I especially love I-8 through the Mission Valley, which junctions with 4 other freeways within a few miles (15, 805, 163, and 5). The 4-level interchange with I-805 is spectacular, with 805 soaring high above the valley floor.

San Diego is also incredibly spacious compared to LA or the Bay Area. Lots of canyons and military reservations. Commuting distances are pretty long therefor though...

Best highways EU vs USA... with so many Belgians on this thread, USA is bound to come out as the winner ...

And why might that be? I love driving in the US but it is a known fact that when it comes to pavement quality, most states have a standard that lies beneath that of Europe.