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Construction Highways: Transportation and Communications. The main highways and railroads of Greece follow natural historic routes. The railways system, rebuilt after World War II to its prewar extent, has given way to roads as the chief means of transportation. Great advances have been made in roadbuilding. The main highways were widened and improved. Even more important, the construction highways of secondary roads has ended the centuries-old isolation of many villages.
Defense needs have played a large part in the development of transportation in some countries. The political interests of Rome resulted in her building an extensive system of highways that became the wonder of the ancient world, and most other nations have recognized the importance of transportation to national defense. France laid out her highways in the early days of the 20th century in such a way as to protect her borders effectively against threats from abroad.
Italy has one of the most intricate networks of paved highways in Europe and considering her mountainous terrain, all up and down the Apennines and in the Alpine north, it is remarkable how easily one may motor to every part of the country. There are several major autostrada routes, these being super-highways subject to tolls, similar to the Autobahn turnpikes of Germany, and many main traffic arteries not subject to tolls, but hundreds of the lesser roads are narrow and necessarily serpentine. |
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