Scenic road in Turkey most ‘dangerous' in the world
An obscure city sandwiched between eastern and northern Turkey, Bayburt boasts new-found fame as a road to the area made it to the top of a list of the most dangerous roads in the world.The website dangerousroads.org placed the road connecting the city to Of, a town in the neighboring province of Trabzon, on the list of the world's most challenging roads, voted in by users. The D915 road is "not for anyone suffering from vertigo or a fear of landslides," a description on the website reads. With no guardrails for kilometers, the 106-kilometer road offers a rush of adrenaline for adventurers and genuine fear for rational motorists. A total of 29 steep hairpins dot the road climbing up an elevation of more than 2,000 meters above sea level as it straddles through the Soğanlı mountain range. The road mostly lacks asphalt due to the difficulty of covering gravel roads, which adds to the danger of an avalanche or landslide. The website places the Bayburt road before the infamous "Death Road" in Bolivia, which has long topped such lists because of the obscurity of the Bayburt road. But it might be older than the road in Bolivia. The road was built by Russian soldiers during World War I. An article on the website advises drivers not to travel on the road in severe weather conditions and not to travel at all if you are faint of heart. The road's most dangerous section is near the Derebaşı district with 13 hairpins in the area. The road climbs from 1,712 meters above sea level to 2,035 meters in slightly over 5 kilometers. The only redeeming quality of the road is the amazing scenery that the lush forests and plateaus offer.
Last Update: January 26, 2016 16:10