One Lane Road

I must say that I did not know that one lane roads still existed until I came to Australia. I
remember the first time I visited we were driving inland from Sydney to Butch’s parents house when we came to a one lane wooden bridge. We stopped and I gazed for minutes admiring the structure. I thought such road marvels only existed in novels and stories. Then when we moved to the Northern Territory where one lane roads were an everyday occurrence. One lane gravel roads or one lane pavement roads were more common than bigger roads. I think that these some-what prehistoric seeming roads only strike me as odd after growing up in the US where four lane ribbons of concrete also known as Interstate roads are the majority. Here in Australia the major road, Highway 1, that runs along the entire eastern coast of the country is a simple two lane road that is often plagued with pot holes and extremely heavy traffic. Far from the Interstates that interlace the continental United States. Of course, Australia does not have the population to support a vast interstate highway system from coast to coast, but surely an improved and larger highway to service the coast is possible. Until the population drastically rises in many outback towns, the one lane roads and bridges will be a part of life for us here in Australia.