18 Roads and Highways with the Most Mind-Blowing Features
Roads aren’t just pathways that take us from point A to point B—they’re engineering marvels that showcase human ingenuity and determination to connect places despite challenging landscapes. From tunnels carved through mountains to highways that seemingly defy gravity, these transportation routes demonstrate how far we’ve come in our quest to make the world more accessible.
Here is a list of 18 roads and highways around the world that feature some of the most incredible engineering feats and natural wonders you’ll ever encounter.
Atlantic Ocean Road
This 5.2-mile stretch in Norway zigzags dramatically across the ocean, connecting a series of small islands with eight bridges. Built to withstand the harsh North Sea conditions, this road regularly experiences dramatic weather that sends waves crashing directly onto the pavement. During calm weather, it transforms into one of the most scenic drives imaginable, like driving on top of the ocean itself.
Guoliang Tunnel Road
Built by hand over a slope in China’s Henan Province, this 0.75-mile tunnel took a small village just five years to finish with simple tools and will. There are thirty “windows” in the tunnel dug into the mountain that provide amazing views of the surrounds. These apertures provide ventilation for this amazing hand labor effort as well as natural light sources.
Millau Viaduct
Rising 1,125 feet above the Tarn Valley, this French engineering wonder surpasses the Eiffel Tower. Often appearing to float above a sea of clouds on foggy mornings, the 1.5-mile cable-stayed bridge spans. Its seven thin pylons and simple form help it seem more like a graceful sailing fleet than a large concrete construction.
Trollstigen
Norway’s ‘Troll Path’ features 11 hairpin turns that climb a 9% grade up a steep mountainside. The road resembles a slithering snake making its way up the rugged terrain, surrounded by waterfalls and dramatic peaks. During winter months, the road closes completely due to dangerous conditions, making the summer driving season all the more special for travelers brave enough to navigate its twists.
Tianmen Mountain Road
Known as the ‘Road of 99 Bends,’ this Chinese mountain pass features exactly 99 turns as it winds its way up to Tianmen Cave. The precision engineering required to carve these switchbacks into the mountainside is comparable to threading a needle while wearing oven mitts. At the top, drivers are rewarded with access to one of the most spectacular natural arches on the planet.
Karakoram Highway
Connecting Pakistan to China, this highest paved international road on earth reaches an elevation of 15,466 feet. Workers endured extreme altitude sickness, unpredictable weather, and unstable terrain during its construction. The highway cuts through three mountain ranges and ancient silk road paths that traders have used for centuries.
Seven Mile Bridge
This Florida Keys landmark connects Knight’s Key to Little Duck Key, giving drivers the sensation of cruising directly over the turquoise waters of the Gulf of Mexico. The current bridge replaced an older railway bridge built by Henry Flagler, parts of which still stand alongside the modern structure. Driving across feels like skimming just above the ocean’s surface, with nothing but water stretching to the horizon on both sides.
Stelvio Pass
Located in the Italian Alps, this mountain pass features 48 hairpin turns that stack almost directly on top of each other. From above, the road resembles a tangled ribbon dropped onto the mountainside. The pass rises to 9,045 feet and provides drivers with heart-stopping views—if they can tear their eyes away from the demanding road long enough to appreciate them.
Danyang–Kunshan Grand Bridge
While technically a railway bridge rather than a road, this 102-mile structure in China deserves mention as the longest bridge of any kind in the world. It crosses rice paddies, rivers, lakes, and even a section of the Yangtze River delta. The bridge required enough steel to circle the earth twice and took four years to complete despite employing 10,000 workers.
The Magic Roundabout
This mind-bending traffic pattern in Swindon, England consists of five mini-roundabouts arranged around a central sixth roundabout. It looks like a transportation engineer’s fever dream but actually functions remarkably well, handling thousands of vehicles daily. First-time drivers often feel like they’ve entered a bizarre traffic puzzle that somehow works despite appearing completely counterintuitive.
Chapman’s Peak Drive
Hugging the cliffside of South Africa’s Atlantic coast, this 5.5-mile route features 114 curves carved into near-vertical mountain faces. The road required extraordinary engineering solutions, including half-tunnels and cantilevered sections that hang precariously over the crashing waves below. Driving it feels like traversing a narrow shelf between mountain and sea, with nothing but thin air beneath the outer edge.
Eshima Ohashi Bridge
This Japanese structure appears impossibly steep from certain angles, earning it the nickname ‘The Roller Coaster Bridge.’ With a gradient of 6.1% on one side and 5.1% on the other, it rises sharply to allow ships to pass underneath. Approaching drivers experience an optical illusion that makes the bridge seem like a near-vertical wall, though the actual climb is less dramatic than photographs suggest.
Transfagarasan Highway
Romania’s most spectacular road cuts through the Carpathian Mountains, featuring sharp descents, tunnels, viaducts, and bridges. Built as a strategic military route, the road climbs to 6,699 feet through forests and rocky terrain. The most photographed section resembles a slithering serpent making its way up the mountainside, with switchbacks so tight they nearly fold back on themselves.
Yungas Road
Often called ‘Death Road,’ this Bolivian route earned its grim nickname by claiming hundreds of lives. The narrow dirt path features 2,000-foot drops with no guardrails and becomes treacherously slippery during the rainy season. While a newer, safer alternative now exists, thrill-seekers still tackle the original path, which offers both extreme danger and unparalleled views of the rainforest below.
The Overseas Highway
Incorporating 42 bridges over 113 miles, this Florida route island-hops its way from Miami to Key West. The highway gives drivers the sensation of skimming across the ocean’s surface, with endless blue water visible on both sides for much of the journey. Originally built on the foundation of a railroad destroyed by a hurricane in 1935, the route transforms a once-difficult journey into one of America’s most scenic drives.
Bartlett Glacier Tunnel
The port of Whittier through a 2.5-mile passage beneath solid mountain. The single-lane tunnel serves both cars and trains on the same track, requiring precise scheduling to prevent collisions. Massive fans circulate air through the tunnel, which features turnouts every quarter mile for emergency stops during the 7-minute journey.
The Road to Hana
Hawaii’s famous 64-mile route features 620 curves and 59 bridges, many of them single-lane crossings dating back a century. The lush Maui landscape surrounds drivers with waterfalls, tropical forests, and ocean vistas as they navigate narrow passages cut into the mountainside. The journey exemplifies the saying ‘it’s about the journey, not the destination,’ as travelers typically spend an entire day covering this relatively short distance.
Sheikh Zayed Road
Dubai’s main artery stretches through a forest of futuristic skyscrapers, creating one of the most dramatic urban driving experiences in the world. The 8-lane highway passes directly through the heart of Dubai’s architectural wonderland, including the iconic Emirates Towers and the massive Dubai Mall. Driving this road at night feels like passing through a canyon of stars as countless lights illuminate the vertical city.
Traveling Through Innovation
These extraordinary roads represent more than just convenient paths from one place to another—they symbolize humanity’s persistent drive to overcome geographical challenges through innovation. Each curve, tunnel, and bridge tells a story of engineers who refused to accept that mountains, oceans, or valleys should limit our connections to one another. When we travel these remarkable routes, we experience not just the thrill of the journey but also a testament to human determination and ingenuity that continues to reshape our world.
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