A highway is important because it connects different parts of a country that would otherwise be isolated from each other. The longer a major road is, the more places it links together. This helps promote trade and commerce, and ultimately aids in the development of the country where the highway is located.
Below is the list of the top ten longest highways in the world. Note that these major roads are all located in places with very successful or promising industries. This is partly because investors and business owners can make use of the highways to bring their merchandise or services from one point to another in the shortest possible time, instead of taking a lot of turns and detours.
Top 1: Pan American Highway
The Pan American Highway extends up to 48,000 kilometers, and cuts through almost all the countries in North America and South America. Because of this, the Guinness Book of World Records has awarded it the title for the world’s longest “motorable road.”
Top 2: Highway 1, Australia
At 14,500 kilometers, Highway 1 is not even half as long as the Pan American Highway. Still, it is impressive because it joins all major roads around Australia, and connects more than a million people each day from their places of origin to their intended destinations.
Top 3: Trans-Siberian Highway
The Trans-Siberian Highway in Russia cuts from St. Petersburg all the way to Vladivostok and measures an impressive 11,000 kilometers, making it the longest highway in Asia.
Top 4: Trans-Canada Highway
In 1962, Canada opened the 7,821-kilometer Trans-Canada Highway. Since then, it has connected ten of Canada’s provinces, including Victoria, Ottawa, and Quebec.
Top 5: Golden Quadrilateral Highway
The fifth longest highway in the world is also the second longest major road found in Asia. The Golden Quadrilateral Highway is 5,846 kilometers long, and connects the four major cities in India: Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Chennai. It also cuts across less larger towns like Kanpur, Pune, and Surat.
Top 6: China National Road Highway
The sixth longest highway in the world is also the longest highway in China. It runs from Heilongjiang to Hainan and measures 5,700 kilometers in length.
Top 7: US Route 20
The second US highway to make it to the list is US Route 20, which is a network of roads from coast to coast, running from Boston in the east to Newport in the west. Its road markings run an impressive 5,415 kilometers, which is just a little more than 10 percent of the Pan American Highway’s length.
Top 8: US Route 6
Another highway in the United States, US Route 6 is just a few hundred kilometers short of Route 20, at 5,158 kilometers. It is also known as the Grand Army of the Republic Highway.
Top 9: Interstate 90 (I-90)
I-90 is currently the longest interstate in the United States at 4,860.2 kilometers.
Top 10: Interstate 80 (I-80)
Capping off the list in I-80, which is only around 200 kilometers short of I-90. It has connected San Francisco to Teaneck since its opening in 1986.