Where Oh Where Wednesday: Roads

Having just returned last Wednesday from New York to Belgium I thought it appropriate to mention in this ‘where’ a ‘who’ who makes some of our travels possible. The roads which take us to so many places are everywhere - except in some places - have a link to Belgium.

When we were in Texas, we noticed that the roads and highways are constructed of concrete slabs. And in some other areas we visited in the Midwest, the roads were simply compacted dirt. But in most places, in the US and all over Europe, roads are made of asphalt. 

The Germans are very proud that their highways are extremely well-cared for. They have to take a lot of very fast-driving cars. The Dutch have quite a few kilometers of highway for such a small country, and they are also well-maintained. In Eastern Europe, it used to be that roads were horrible, making a trip of 7 hours into a trip that could take 14 hours because the asphalt was not well-maintained. 

Belgium had one of the first modern highways and has an extreme amount of road for the size of the country. But every Belgian will let you know that there is plenty to complain about when it comes to roads. The asphalt is often pockmarked. Cities are required to place a sign if there is a pothole. But they are not required to fix it. If you see a sign and hit a pothole which damages your car, the insurance will not pay. There was a sign, after all. 

All of this to say that asphalt was first done by a Belgian - Edward de Smedt - in 1870 when he laid a stretch of road in Battery Park and 5th Avenue in New York City. So whether you are driving in Minnesota, Michigan, Maryland, Maine or Malta, whether the road takes you from New York to Connecticut or from The Netherlands to Belgium, it is most likely an asphalt road, originally created by a Belgian (in the US).