Autobahn in Endertopias
The Automobile Broad Accommodation Highway Network, abbreviated to Autobahn, is a controlled-access highway network in Endertopias. The project was first conceived of in 1951, and it was authorized by the Autobahn Act of 1963. The Autobahn System extends throughout Endertopias and has a total length of 26,207 km.
The first numbered highway emerged in Endertopias in 1924, six years later in 1930 the Federal Government started to fund local roadways across the country. The first numbered cross-country roads appeared in 1940, along with the Endertopian Highway Act, which establishes a numbering system on a national basis. After the Autobahn Act, the construction started across the country, the first stretch of roads completed was the A48 from Starynwale to Cloveraffe. The total cost of the original project is estimated to be around $77 billion. The Autobahn is funded mostly by the Federal Government and maintained by the National Autobahn Administration.
As of 2020, the Autobahn accounts of 30.1% of vehicle miles traveled in the country.
History
Planning
Endertopias is a sparsely populated nation, with a population density of just 56 people per squared kilometer, the country consists of population centers surrounded by vast open plains of wilderness. Local state authorities started building roadways connecting cities to their relative suburbs in the 1910s, but this system does not resolve the issue of cross-country travel. In 1924, the state of Austermel introduced the first numbering system of Endertopias, creating the nation's first true highway.
In 1928, the Komeria Army reported that it took 37 days to travel between the easternmost city of Tenshily and the westernmost city of Exusia. In 1930, the Enderhalls passed the Better Roads Act. The act allocated $60 million per year for road constructions and improvements throughout the country. 10 years later in 1940, the act was succeeded by the Endertopian Highway Act, which sought to build a cross-country highway network and created a numbering system that's still in use today. The Endertopian Highway Act called for connections between preexisting local networks, however, roads in different areas were built to vastly different standards. Although the quality of said roads were massively improved after the Better Roads Act of 1930, the inconsistency was a pain to many people at the time. The Endertopian Highway Act did not specify any standards, which was considered its major pitfall. The roads constructed during this time would eventually become the nation's second tier roads.
The discussion for a new standardized highway system was rebooted in 1951, when a city planner Lester Megnon published a report detailing a 20,000-km network of highways connecting the nation's population centers and its implications, the idea of the Autobahn started to gain traction.
Autobahn Act & Construction
In 1956, the federal government commissioned teams of city planners to come up with a map of the would-be Autobahn. Many drafts were rejected for monetary and technical difficulties, but in 1960, the State of Austermel sent in their version of project, which prevailed. In 1963, the Enderhalls passed the Autobahn Act. The proposal was to build 15,000 km of roads within 8 years, with a total cost of $60 billion. Constructions of the Autobahn began in 1964, and the National Autobahn Administration was founded.
- February 5th, 1969: The first stretch of road, A48 from Starynwale to Cloveraffe, was completed.
- May 8th, 1974: The first stage of the project, featuring connections between Endertopias' 5 most populous cities, was dedicated.
- April 22nd, 1980: The longest route of the Autobahn, A2 from Exusia to Portine, measuring 2,147.2 km, was dedicated.
- June 7th, 1981: The second major east-west route, A80 from Eyjafyalland to Delphinia, was dedicated.
- December 12th, 1981: The Autobahn is proclaimed to be completed with the dedication of A16.
Expansion projects
The original Autobahn covered only eastern Endertopias, after the completion of the project, the Autobahn Administration soon began planning for three expansion projects.
Tenshily (Northeast) Expansion
The Tenshily Northeast Expansion was proposed in 1982, calling for six new Autobahns to be built:
- Extension to A80: Delphinia - Kafkaland - Amina - Tenshily -- completed October 31st, 1986
- A80 eastern forks: A76, A78, A95 -- completed September 17th, 1987
- A74, A79: Delphinia - Palaqua - Starynwale via coast -- completed May 20th, 1988
The total length of the expansion was 2,925 km. It took 6 years and $11.7 billion.
Anfissa (Southwest) Expansion
The Anfissa Southwest Expansion was proposed in 1984, calling for five Autobahns:
- Maberg R1: a ring road joining A2, A10, A16 (later renamed R0) -- completed November 17th, 1987
- Extension to A2: Maberg - Exusia -- completed July 9th, 1987
- A10: Maberg - Anfissa -- completed January 15th, 1990
- A3 (Josen Mountain Highway): Anfissa - Josen -- completed April 10th, 1994
- A21 (Melland Highway): Anfissa - Ifriti -- completed August 1st, 1992
The total length of the expansion was 3,000 km. It took 10 years and $14.8 billion.
Eyja-Nortilus (Northwest) Expansion
The Eyja-Nortilus Northwest Expansion was proposed in 1984, calling for 10 new Autobahns:
- A17, A19: Ifriti - Eyjafyalland, running west of the Flameflower Valley -- completed May 20th, 1992
- A23, A25: Ifriti - Eyjafyalland, running east of the Flameflower Valley -- completed August 12th, 1990
- A62: connecting A53 - A23, A25 junction -- completed December 11th, 1990
- Eyjafyalland R1: a ring road joining A19, A25, A27, A80, and A82 -- completed January 1st, 1992
- A80 western fork: A82 -- completed February 1st, 1992
- A27 -- completed May 18th, 1994
- A41 (Skywynne Highway): Eyjafyalland - A27 - Nortilus -- completed May 20th, 1996
- A88 -- completed June 21st, 1996
The ENNE was considered the most difficult expansion of the entirety of Autobahn. It traverses two mountain ranges, and constructions were forced by eco groups to reduce environmental impact to a minimum. A41 from Santisnow to Nortilus traverses the Skywynne Mountains, the highest point of Autobahn in Endertopias is the Heaven's Step near Santisnow, at 5,188 m AMSL. The construction of the Skywynne Highway is hailed by some as an engineering marvel, the elevation difference of the A41 alone is over 4,500 meter.
The total length of the expansion was 4,311 km. It took 12 years and $26.4 billion.
Other expansions
Other expansion projects over the years include the Coastal Highway Project, consisting the A50 and A97 running along the coast.
Future expansions
The Tenshi Strait Bridge
In 2010, the National Autobahn Administration proposed the construction of A71 in the form of a sea bridge crossing the Tenshi Gulf. The bridge went into construction in 2014, and it is set to be completed in 2022. The addition of A71 is estimated to reduce travel time to Kafkaland, Amina, and Tenshily by 5 hours.
Standards
The Autobahn is overseen by the National Autobahn Administration (NAA), which has set several standards for Autobahns, new and old, across the country. One universal standard is the access control. Traffic lights are limited to ramp meters only.
Speed limits
For highways, Endertopias has a national speed limits of 130 km/h; state governments are free to set their own speed limits that overrides the national limit, unless the stretch of roads has no speed limits, in which case only a 150 km/h advisory speed suggestion is present and no other speed restrictions may be put in place if not for hazardous conditions on the road. As of 2021, 72% of Autobahn has no permanent speed limits. The other 28% has various limits ranging from 110 ~ 130 km/h. Typically, urban, costal, and mountainous areas have the lowest speed limits, like the Ring Roads R0~R9, the Angel's Highway A80, and the Skywynne Highway A41, which have 110 km/h limits. Higher speed limits are usually established in inland states where population and civilization is sparse, though in most cases these roads would have no speed limits.
| Autobahn | Start point | End point | Speed limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| A3 | Josen (Anfissa+796k) | Anfissa+388k | 110 km/h |
| A41 | A27 Junction | Nortilus | |
| A80 | Kafkaland+180k | A78 Junction | |
| A78 | A80 Junction | - | |
| R0~R9 | - | - | |
| A88 | A27 Junction | - | |
| A26 | A67/69 Junction+15k | A67/69 Junction+242k | 120 km/h |
| A21 | Ifriti+84k | Ifriti+232k | |
| A62 | A53 Junction | A23/25 Junction | 130 km/h |
| A17/19/25 | - | - | |
| Other | - | - | None |
Tolls
The NAA allows states to collect tolls. However, only electronic toll collection (open road tolling) is allowed. 35% of Autobahn is currently tolled. The NAA also sets limits on the highest toll rates allowed, tolls are required not to exceed $0.5 per kilometer. The NAA also has the right to suspend all tolls on certain occasions such as festivities.
Numbering system
Primary autobahns
The numbering system was adopted in the 1940 Endertopian Highway Act. East-west running autobahns have even numbers, and north-south running autobahns have odd numbers, both from 1~99. Numbers increase from west to east and from south to north. One number for one stretch of road, no repeats.
Auxiliary autobahns
Secondary routes, usually spur routes, bypass routes, and their connector routes are designated by their parent route number followed by letters. For example, A2 features a bypass route numbered A2a, another road connecting A2 to A2a is designated A2b.
Ring Roads
Rings Roads are round autobahns employed in population centers, acting as a giant roundabout to connect multiple incoming autobahns. There are currently 10 of them and they are labeled R0~R9. The Maberg Ring was originally numbered R1, but, following the dedication of the Eyjafyalland Ring in 1992, the Autobahn Administration realized that they could not fit "R10" in the Autobahn Star signage, therefore, the Maberg Ring was rechristened R0, and the R1 designation went to the Eyjafyalland Ring instead.
Signage
The Autobahn Star
The Autobahns are signed by the Autobahn Star, a star painted in either blue, pink, or green with the number of the autobahn, the word "Autobahn" under the numbers, and a seven-pointed star above the numbers. The design is trademarked by the NAA. Signs featuring the Autobahn Star are placed along the roads periodically as reassurance markers. They usually measure 1x1 meter.
Statistics
Volume
- Heaviest traveled: 210,000 vehicles per day: Starynwale R7.
- Highest traffic density: 23,700 vehicles per hour: A27 during the annual Aurorade Festival 2020.
Elevation
- Highest: 5,188 m (17,021 ft.): A41 at the Heaven's Step in the Skywynne Mountain Range.
- Lowest: 0 m (0 ft.): A76 in Eastlairie Junction.
Length
- Longest (east–west): 2147.2 km (1334.2 miles): A2 from Exusia to Portine
- Longest (north–south): 906.5 km (563.3 miles): A21 from Anfissa to Ifriti