The Romans had an exstensive road system that  provided quick,safe military movement, allowed for speedy deliveries of mail and imperial decrees,and tied the cities and providences together. The roads generally were laid in straight lines regardless of the terrain. This was because it was too difficult to make sturdy curves with the materials the Romans were using. None the less, great pride was taken in the development of Roman passageways. many are still being used today where the average lifespan of a road today is seven to ten years.
 
 

            There were four basic steps in the Roman's road building process.

 1. A  ditch about  three feet deep would be excavated.

 2. The romans would then fill the ditch with large stones and compact them as tightly as they could.

 3. Smaller stones would then be layered on top of the larger stones.

 4. Finally, concrete would be poured on top and then packed as tight as possible with tiny pieces of flint.
 
 

         The Romans designed their roads with drainage as a top priority. They had to keep them dry so they could support the huge loads that traveled on them. The center of the road usually rose about one foot above the ground at a shallow slope. On each side there was an agger that ranged from 30 to 40 feet wide. Then beside the agger was a relatively shallow drainage ditch. At the farthest part of the road was the boundary ditch which defined the edge of the road and protected travelers from ambush.