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This is a list of countries (or regions) by total road network size, both paved and unpaved.Also included is additional data on the length of each country or region's controlled-access highway network (also known as a motorway, expressway, freeway, etc.), designed for high vehicular traffic.
In the United States, the Interstate Highway standards for the Interstate Highway System use a 12 ft (3.7 m) standard lane width, while narrower lanes are used on lower classification roads. In Europe, laws and road widths vary by country; the minimum widths of lanes are generally between 2.5 to 3.25 m (8.2 to 10.7 ft). [ 13 ]
Minimum lane width: The minimum lane width is 12 feet (3.7 m), identical to most US and state highways. Shoulder width: The minimum width of the left paved shoulder is 4 feet (1.2 m), and of the right paved shoulder 10 feet (3.0 m). With three or more lanes in each direction, both shoulders are to be at least 10 feet (3.0 m) wide.
The only highway officially labelled as a freeway is the Macdonald–Cartier Freeway, usually known as Highway 401, or simply "the 401", which is North America's busiest freeway, as well as one of the widest in the world at 18 through lanes in the section passing through Toronto.
The selection of lane width affects the safety, maximum capacity, and cost, of a highway. Safety is best at a width of 3.0 to 3.1 metres (9.8 to 10.2 ft) in urban settings, where both narrow (less than 2.8 metres (9 ft 2 in)) and wide (over 3.1 metres (10 ft)) lanes have higher crash risks.
The Pershing Map FDR's hand-drawn map from 1938. The United States government's efforts to construct a national network of highways began on an ad hoc basis with the passage of the Federal Aid Road Act of 1916, which provided $75 million over a five-year period for matching funds to the states for the construction and improvement of highways. [8]
A controlled access highway may be two lanes known as a two-lane expressway. They are often undivided, are sometimes built when traffic volumes are low (but may be upgraded later), right-of-way is limited or due to low funding. They may be designed for easy conversion to one side of a four-lane freeway and right of way may already be acquired.
Typical left-hand motorway road layout in Ireland and South Africa Divided median strip on a boulevard in Huizhou, China. A median strip, central reservation, roadway median, or traffic median is the reserved area that separates opposing lanes of traffic on divided roadways such as divided highways, dual carriageways, freeways, and motorways.