Waymaker Trivia Quiz

Answer: Appius Claudius Caecus

Construction of the Via Appia began in 312 BCE under Appius Claudius Caecus. He was a Roman censor who recognised the military and economic value of reliable roads. The route initially connected Rome to Capua, later extending to Brundisium (modern Brindisi) on the Adriatic coast.

Romans called it 'Regina Viarum', the Queen of Roads, for its engineering excellence. It featured carefully fitted paving stones laid on deep foundations. Sections of the original roadbed remain visible today, over 2,300 years after construction.

Answer: Darius the Great

Darius I reorganised the Persian Empire around 500 BCE. It strengthened the Royal Road as a communication network which stretched from Sardis to Susa. Herodotus said royal messengers could cover the distance in about seven to nine days using fresh horses stationed at regular intervals.

This system helped Darius govern distant provinces and react quickly to threats across his empire.

Answer: Dwight D. Eisenhower

President Dwight Eisenhower signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act in 1956, authorising the construction of 41,000 miles of interstate highways across the United States. His support stemmed partly from his 1919 experience leading a military convoy across the country, which took 62 days on deteriorating roads.

Eisenhower had also observed Germany's autobahn network during World War II, recognising both the military advantages and economic benefits of high-speed road infrastructure.

Answer: John Loudon McAdam

Scottish engineer John Loudon McAdam developed his road-building technique in the early 1800s. He used layers of uniformly sized crushed stone rather than large foundation blocks. His 'macadamisation' process relied on the stone pieces binding together under traffic weight while allowing water to drain through gaps.

This prevented the waterlogging that destroyed earlier roads. The method proved far cheaper than existing techniques and became standard across Britain and beyond.

Answer: Inca

The Inca Empire constructed the Qhapaq Ņan network across six modern South American countries. It linked coastal lowlands with high Andean peaks through terrain ranging from rainforest to desert. The system included suspension bridges crossing deep gorges, stone staircases climbing mountain faces, and rest houses positioned at regular intervals.

Without wheeled vehicles or horses, the Incas built these roads for foot traffic and llama caravans. This enabled rapid movement of armies, goods, and information across distances exceeding 30,000 kilometres (18.641 miles).

Answer: Sher Shah Suri

During his short rule from 1540 to 1545, Sher Shah Suri rebuilt and extended the ancient route linking the Bay of Bengal to the Khyber Pass. He established rest houses, police posts, and wells at regular intervals along the road, which he called Sadak-e-Azam.

Although the route had existed for centuries, Sher Shah's work laid the foundation that later Mughal emperors and British colonisers built upon.

Answer: China and Pakistan

In 1959, China and Pakistan began jointly constructing the Karakoram Highway through some of Earth's most challenging terrain. It was completed in 1979 after 20 years of work. The route reaches altitudes exceeding 4,700 metres (15,420 feet) at Khunjerab Pass, which makes it one of the world's highest paved international roads.

Construction claimed many lives due to landslides, avalanches, and falls in the unstable mountain environment.

Answer: Cyrus Avery

Cyrus Avery, a businessman from Tulsa, Oklahoma, lobbied extensively for the creation and routing of U.S. Route 66 in the 1920s. It earned him recognition as the highway's 'father'. He served on the federal board that selected and numbered new U.S. highways, successfully arguing for a route connecting Chicago to Los Angeles through the middle of the country.

Avery later founded the U.S. Highway 66 Association to promote the road and encourage its development.

Answer: Qin Shi Huang

The first emperor of unified China ordered the construction of a massive road system radiating from his capital at Xianyang after consolidating power in 221 BCE. His 'Straight Road' (Zhidao) ran approximately 800 kilometres (497 miles) north toward the Mongolian frontier.

It was built wide enough for military chariots and designed to bypass natural obstacles rather than follow terrain contours. These roads allowed troops to deploy quickly against northern invasions and helped Qin Shi Huang govern his newly unified empire.

Answer: Thomas Telford

Thomas Telford designed around 920 miles of roads across Britain during his prolific career in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He also built numerous bridges, canals, and harbours. His road designs improved on McAdam's methods by incorporating carefully graded foundations and precise drainage systems.

The nickname 'Colossus of Roads' was a pun on both his huge engineering output and the ancient Colossus of Rhodes, one of the Seven Wonders of the World.