The Appian Way
The Appian Way is the oldest and the most famous road built by the ancient Romans. Built in 312 BC by Appius Claudius Caecus, the Appian Way was the main route by which traders and merchants could get to and from Greece. It was about 350 miles in length and built chiefly of stone and mortar filled in with gravel. On top of this, slabs were laid to make the road smooth. The Road had a retaining wall and a ditch on either side of it. The road was well built and traversed the hills and plains between Rome and its southern cities.
The surface that covers the road now was probably not the original surface. It is generally not known when this course was added. Near Rome, the road is lined with tombs which can still be seen today in ruins.
A typical design life for a primary artery is 40 years. The Appian Way has exhibited a design life of over 2000 years! There is a school of thought that supports designing pavement sections to a 100 year or greater life. Life cycle costing indicates that these heavier sections are both practical and economical. We think that the Appian Way seems to bear this out.
“I remember seeing a manual Appian had developed for another municipality. So when it came time to develop one for our town, we invited Appian to submit a proposal. Our selection committee chose Appian. The engineering and construction community have praised it.”
Director of Public Works and Utilities
Town of Wake Forest, NC