# Largest (near-) vertical drop directly next to a road **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 21, 2014, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-near-vertical-drop-directly-next-to-a-road/688933 "2014-05-21T15:20:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Capi1978](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Capi1978](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capi1978)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2014, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-near-vertical-drop-directly-next-to-a-road/688933/1 "2014-05-21T15:20:42Z")
So where is the largest (near-) vertical drop directly (let’s say nearer than 2m) next to a public road? Bonus points if the road has no guard rails ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2014, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-near-vertical-drop-directly-next-to-a-road/688933/2 "2014-05-21T15:26:30Z")
The [Yungas Road](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yungas_Road) is certainly a contender. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2014, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-near-vertical-drop-directly-next-to-a-road/688933/3 "2014-05-21T15:30:19Z")
Do you mean a drop down TO the road, or down FROM the road? Man-made. or natural? How close to vertical does “near” constitute? I’ll propose a high bridge, but no bonus for non-guard-rail. ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2014, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-near-vertical-drop-directly-next-to-a-road/688933/4 "2014-05-21T15:32:42Z")
“next to” is ambiguous. From the OP’s mention of “guard rails”, it seems to me that the OP is looking for the farthest drop from the road downwards, and is not looking for situations where the road is at the bottom of the cliff. ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2014, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-near-vertical-drop-directly-next-to-a-road/688933/5 "2014-05-21T15:37:45Z")
Bridges are an interesting idea, but I suspect most will be disqualified by the two-meter limit for distance between the drivable road and the edge of the bridge. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2014, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-near-vertical-drop-directly-next-to-a-road/688933/6 "2014-05-21T15:39:03Z")
It won’t win the superlative, but [California’s](http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2006/04/27/us/27slide600.jpg) [Highway](https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5001/5212593737_4611603d17_z.jpg) [One](http://www.aerialarchives.com/stock/img/AHLB5843.jpg) has some nightmarish sections. (The worst segment has finally been abandoned, I hear.) ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2014, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-near-vertical-drop-directly-next-to-a-road/688933/7 "2014-05-21T15:55:34Z")
This would seem to qualify - [- YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=boKsbF-ONzk) It’s in Pakistan