U. S. 2 Safety Coalition's Website
Because some websites indicate that this amazing road is not in Bolivia, but in Guoliang, China, I searched the Urban Legends website and made various Google seaches. But regardless of the debate re the road's location, it does appear to be a "real" roadway. Somewhere....
TALK ABOUT YOUR ENVIRONMENTAL AND TRANSPORTATION ROAD DESIGN NIGHTMARE!!
This makes U. S. 2 look tame by comparison....
(Thanks to C. Rupke of Gold Bar, who shared these photos of Stremnaya road, called the “Road of Death” in Bolivia.)
Stremnaya Road & Yungas Road: The Roads of Death.
October 12th, 2006 at 9:53 am (Resource Links, Fun and Info)
In the country of Bolivia is a truly amazing road carved into the side of a cliff. Stremnaya road and Yungas Road is called the road of death.
The North Yungas Road (also Grove’s Road, Coroico Road, Camino de las Yungas, “El Camino de la Muerte”, “Death Road”) is a 38 to 43 mile road (depending on source) leading from La Paz to Coroico, 35 miles (56 km) northeast of La Paz in the Yungas region of Bolivia. It is legendary for its extreme danger, one estimate is that nearly 100 travellers annually have died along the road — the road moreover includes Christian crosses marking many of the spots where such vehicles have fallen. The road descends from approx. 14,100 ft (4300 m) to 6200 ft (330 m), transitioning quickly from cool altiplano terrain to rain forest as it winds through very steep hillsides and atop cliffs.
Check out these incredible photos.
The road was built in the 1930s during the Chaco War by Paraguayan prisoners. It is one of the few routes that connects the Amazon rainforest region of northern Bolivia, or Yungas, to its capital city. However, an alternative, much safer, road connecting La Paz to Coroico is nearing completion.
Because of the extreme dropoffs, single-lane width, and lack of guardrails, the road is extremely dangerous. Further still, rain and fog can make visibility precarious, the road surface muddy, and loosen rocks from the hillsides above. On July 24, 1983, a bus veered off the Yungas Road and into a canyon, killing more than 100 passengers in what is said to be Bolivia’s worst road accident. One of the local road rules specifies that the downhill driver never has the right of way and must move to the outer edge of the road. This forces fast vehicles to stop so that passing can be negotiated safely. The danger of the road ironically though has made it a popular tourist destination starting in the 1990s. Mountain biker enthusiasts, in particular, have made it a favorite destination for downhill biking.
A South Yungas Road (also Chulumani Road) exists that connects La Paz to Chulumani, 40 miles (64 km) east of La Paz, and is considered to be nearly as dangerous as the north road.