# Could the pan american hioghway be the backbone for economic growth in our hemisphere? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 15, 2016, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-pan-american-hioghway-be-the-backbone-for-economic-growth-in-our-hemisphere/766037 "2016-09-15T20:19:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![sevenwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@sevenwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sevenwood)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2016, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-pan-american-hioghway-be-the-backbone-for-economic-growth-in-our-hemisphere/766037/21 "2016-09-17T20:07:34Z")
> [@sevenwood](#): > > Interstate 69 was a real thing that existed as a north-south road in New Jersey ACK! My bad. [Route 69 (changed to Route 31)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Jersey_Route_31)was a real thing, but it was a state road, not an Interstate. ---
**Author:** ![chacoguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2016, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-pan-american-hioghway-be-the-backbone-for-economic-growth-in-our-hemisphere/766037/22 "2016-09-17T21:20:54Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > A single container ship can have a capacity of 13,000 to 19,000 TEU (1 TEU = the equivalent of a '20 standard shipping container). The United States handles about 50 million of theses containers a year. > > This is what the container yard in Newark looks like: > [http://truckingwebcam.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/landing-port-of-ny-nj.jpg](http://truckingwebcam.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/landing-port-of-ny-nj.jpg) Point taken, but picture how much worse the problem would be if that was all being moved by individual trucks. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2016, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-pan-american-hioghway-be-the-backbone-for-economic-growth-in-our-hemisphere/766037/23 "2016-09-18T00:58:44Z")
Well, free trade is almost always a good thing, but it’s much more complicated than just building an international highway. Central and South America would need to form closer bonds with each other similar to the European Union. Given that there’s much fewer language barriers between these countries it’s says a lot that they haven’t yet. Even the EU is far from a perfect utopia, witness Brexit (and they even had the freakin’ Chunnel\*!\*). ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2016, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-pan-american-hioghway-be-the-backbone-for-economic-growth-in-our-hemisphere/766037/24 "2016-09-18T18:39:35Z")
> [@chacoguy](#): > > Point taken, but picture how much worse the problem would be if that was all being moved by individual trucks. Well actually, eventually, they ARE moved by individual trucks. At least at some point of the line from port to customer. Most efficient is to load them first on trains, then on to trucks at a later terminal. Some go directly from ship onto a truck. But eventually a truck does move them. I looked it up and they said their are about 5.6 million semi trucks in the US. So I think a best system would incorporate not just an interstate type highway all thru central America but also a good rail line and eventually a high speed rail line. Consider Canada is about 5,000 miles wide and look how popular its train rides become and much of that is thru open plains, mountains, and forests. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-pan-american-hioghway-be-the-backbone-for-economic-growth-in-our-hemisphere/766037.md?page=1)