The Pan-American Highway, in its entirety, is just short of 19,000 miles in length. It extends from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, to Ushuaia, Argentina.
Info below is relatively recent (2019) and from an excellent article written about Eric Rutkow, writer, lawyer, historian and asst. prof at UCF.
The book Eric wrote, “The Longest Line On The Map” is also cited below:
“It was a footnote in a random book in Central America that sent Eric Rutkow — lawyer, author and UCF assistant professor of history — on one of the biggest journeys of his life. The footnote was a nod to the construction of the Inter-American Highway — 3,400 miles of road that stretches from Mexico to Panama. But what Rutkow found so interesting was the mention that this stretch of highway was the United States’ largest global development project between the world wars.”
“And many of those U.S.-Latin American relations started with a railway dream. That railway never came to pass, but it led to a new route to connect the Americas: what would become known as the longest road in the world, stretching 19,000 miles from Alaska to the tip of Argentina.”
Source:
www.ucf.edu
Eric’s book, “Longest Line On The Map”:
Another fascinating article on Eric Rutkow and the PAH:
Info below is relatively recent (2019) and from an excellent article written about Eric Rutkow, writer, lawyer, historian and asst. prof at UCF.
The book Eric wrote, “The Longest Line On The Map” is also cited below:
“It was a footnote in a random book in Central America that sent Eric Rutkow — lawyer, author and UCF assistant professor of history — on one of the biggest journeys of his life. The footnote was a nod to the construction of the Inter-American Highway — 3,400 miles of road that stretches from Mexico to Panama. But what Rutkow found so interesting was the mention that this stretch of highway was the United States’ largest global development project between the world wars.”
“And many of those U.S.-Latin American relations started with a railway dream. That railway never came to pass, but it led to a new route to connect the Americas: what would become known as the longest road in the world, stretching 19,000 miles from Alaska to the tip of Argentina.”
“The Darién Gap*
Between Panama and Colombia lies 60 miles of territory shrouded in mystery, danger and very tentative tourism for those who want credit for passing through one of the world’s most dangerous areas unscathed.”Source:
World's Longest Road: Story Behind the Pan-American Highway
Based on UCF Assistant Professor Eric Rutkow's book, we learn about the lost road and the relationships, politics and passions that built it.
www.ucf.edu
Eric’s book, “Longest Line On The Map”:
Another fascinating article on Eric Rutkow and the PAH:
