Appian Way Actually Walter, the idea of a border to border highway began in 312BC when the Romans began construction on the Via Appia, otherwise known as the Apian Way. The standard road was 15 feet wide and constructed of interlocking stones. The Romans also built the world's first two lane highway Via Portuensis, (Road to the Port.) between Rome and Ostia at the mouth of the Tiber. The Roman roads even reached most of the conquered provinces such as Constantinople, Alexandria, Carthage with Rome as the focal point (thus the saying "All roads lead to Rome"). At the center of Rome was located the milliareum aureum (the golden milestone), from which the Roman roads radiated. The speedy transit of travelers and commerce had a high priority in the Roman Empire and even though the public had free use of the highway, maintenance of the road was the responsibility of the inhabitants of the district through which it passed and a special tax was levied against any slackers. But the highway paid for itself in other ways; just like along our freeways of today, way stations where travelers could rest and eat existed along the entire length of the system.  Every community had a sleeping house and a community bath and passing travelers were always welcome as they brought the latest news and gossip to the hinterlands. By the year 200AD, the road stretched over 50,000 miles connecting ough the ticking of times clock is inaudible to our ear, the signs of it's passing Ultimately, it was the lack of maintenance and the loss of stone to other building projects during the Middle Ages that caused collapse of the great system. Still, the remains of the Roman network provided transportation in Europe for a thousand years and the concept of a border to border highway system arrived in the Colonies as early as the mid 1700s. The great roadway ultimately spanned 50,000 miles by 200 AD.