World's Largest Roadblock: Darien Gap, Panama 🚊

The only place The Pan-American Highway CANNOT cross (🚊Crazy Transit Series)

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The World’s Largest Roadblock:

Darien Gap & The Pan-American Highway

This one’s on the Pan-American Highway. It’s the longest continuous highway in the world and goes 19,000 miles from the top of Alaska to the tip of South America, literally from artic ice to desert to jungle. Except for one 66-mile stretch that no one can pass, which is the world’s largest roadblock.

The Pan-American highway was an American idea and pretty much totally engineered by the US, starting in the 1940s, to connect all the nations of the Americas. In some places, there was no road before they built the highway, so I guess it did its job.

But almost a century since the project began, there’s still one part of missing road that cuts the full connection and it probably wont ever be built. It is practically impassable, with no way around by land.

That missing part is called the Darien Gap. It’s a 66-mile rainforest/swamp/mountain range that links Central America with South America, and its “one of the most dangerous places on the planet” (that’s from Wikipedia so you know its right).

Not only is it super steep and dense, it’s also one of the rainiest places on earth with no population centers. It’s not policed, so perfect for criminals and political rebels, there’s no medical services, and no way for air or land vehicles to get to anyone if they need help.

Many have tried to cross it, a lot of them don’t make it. But some do – Chevrolet sent 3 Chevy Corvairs through it in what they thought would be a great promotion. 2 made it out and it only took 5 months…

(the one Corvair that never made is still there since theres no way to take it out).

Jeep did the same thing 2 decades later, they did much better – took about a month but they had some serious equipment they brought with them.

All in all, there’s been only 7 successful crossings on 4-wheels recorded since 1959.

I can’t not also mention the fact that recently many migrants from the Caribbean and South America attempt to cross the gap on foot. A lot never make it. Maybe its time to connect this road!