The widest route. Pan American Highway, North and South America

There are now three streets that claim to be the widest street in the world. According to one version, this is 9 de Julio Avenue in Argentina, which is named after the state's independence day. It has six lanes in both directions and occupies an entire block in width.

The width of this avenue is 140 m.

The road was formed as a result of the union of two parallel blocks. The Avenue was planned back in 1888, but work began only in 1937. The main construction was completed in the 1960s. The road runs through the city from north to south and ends at airports on both sides.

The metro runs underneath the avenue, and the 67-meter obelisk in the city center is surrounded by a circular traffic circle. City planners advocate removing the avenue underground and leaving a walking area on top.

To cross the avenue, you will need to go through at least three traffic lights and spend about 5 minutes.

This street contains many famous buildings, such as the Ministry of Communications building, the French Embassy, ​​the Don Quixote statue, other monuments, as well as the Plaza de la República.

Here's another contender...

According to another version, the honorary title of the widest street in the world went to Monumental Val, located in Brazil.

The width of the Monumental Shaft is much larger than that of its competitor - 250 m.

This avenue connects the Municipal Square and the Square of the Three Powers of the Brazilian capital.

The monumental Val is the central avenue of the capital of Brazil, which connects the Square of the Three Powers and the Municipal Square. The national congress of the state, buildings of various ministries, monuments, and memorials are also located here.

By the way, in Brazil itself there is a legend that about 100 cars can simultaneously drive along the Monumental Shaft side by side, but in reality these are fairy tales to attract tourists. The road itself consists of six lanes in each direction, which is divided in the middle by a wide lawn. By the way, there are practically no traffic lights here, and only a few traffic controllers cope with the flow, and this despite the fact that several hundred thousand cars pass here every day.

However, this rectangular area with one-way eight-lane roads on each side includes a wide lawn in the middle. Government offices and historical buildings line the road. If we discard formal signs, then this particular road is the widest in the world.

It is noteworthy that only two traffic lights and no more than four traffic controllers are used to regulate the movement of cars on Monumental Shaft, although several hundred thousand cars pass along it every day.

There is also this version...

even side

odd side

The organization of automobile traffic in large cities and for communication between the most important regions has long been a problem in the most developed countries of the world. Experts from various sectors of transport and construction are working on its solution.

A modern highway is a complex and expensive structure. Where is the widest road in the world? There are several options.

What is considered expensive?

If we define a road not only as a purely automobile highway with several lanes in both directions, but also include dividing strips, noise protection and other structures, sidewalks, elements of landscaping, and navigation, that is, we bring together two concepts - road and street, then the circle of applicants for the title of “the widest road in the world” will be very big. The width of such objects is logically measured in meters and reaches several hundred.

The width of a highway intended only for motor vehicle traffic is usually measured in lanes. The most global transport structures have a total number of more than two dozen. Advertising moves in the form of possible placement of 160 cars along the entire width of the road seem incorrect. There are known cases when multi-kilometer traffic jams, 50 cars wide, formed on the Beijing-Hong Kong-Macao highway. But it is wrong to think that this is the widest road in the world - after all, the road is intended for movement, and not for standing close to each other. In addition, most of this route is toll.

Avenue of the Ministries, Brasilia

This boulevard, on a 2.4 km long section connecting the Municipal Square and the Square of the Three Powers in the Brazilian capital of Brasilia, has 6 lanes for car traffic in each direction. The total width of this street is 250 meters. Most of it is occupied by landscaping and paths for pedestrian communication. On the central avenue of the Brazilian capital - a city specially designed for this function with the participation of famous architects - there are many important objects of urban and national scale.

Ministries Avenue is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the widest road in the world. It was finally built, like all the young ones, in 1960. At its widest point, it has a huge open space - an explanade - near unique architectural objects designed by the great architect. This complex is considered a pearl of world architecture, although, in terms of functionality, it has been subject to serious criticism from both professionals and local residents.

Katy Freeway, Houston, USA

At the end of 2008, the expansion of the highway section between Houston and its suburb of Katy was completed. is part of Interstate 10 (I 10) - a state road connecting 8 American states. High traffic intensity required increasing the total number of traffic lanes to 26. Now about half a million cars a day can pass through here.

Of these 26 lanes, 12 are the main ones, laid for traffic, 8 are access roads along the edges. Another 6 lanes in the central part are intended for high-power vehicles capable of moving at great speed. A section of I-10 near Houston, the fourth most populous city in the United States, the Katy Freeway is the widest road in the world. The photo of this highway, where many complex engineering structures are located, including multi-level interchanges, is an excellent illustration of the problems of modern civilization associated with the growing intensity of road transportation and the increase in the number of cars.

Along Piterskaya...

As you know, in our country there is a special, difficult attitude towards roads. They traditionally refer to troubles, which, of course, do not simplify life, but make it more difficult. Therefore, the widest road in Russia is located, like many things recently, in the capital’s metropolis. Two grandiose Moscow highways are vying for this title - Leningradsky and Leninsky Prospekts. In some places the width of these streets reaches 120 meters.

Leningradka begins as a continuation of the main Moscow street - 1st Tverskaya-Yamskaya from the square near the Belorussky railway station. This direction, connecting the two Russian capitals, has since times been the most important and of national importance. The road to Tver has been the main entrance to the capital since the time of Yuri Dolgoruky, and from the founding of St. Petersburg it acquired the status of a royal highway.

Another important thoroughfare in Moscow is the radial Leninsky Prospekt, running under the same name from the center, from Bolshaya Yakimanka, to the Moscow Ring Road. The basis of this highway was the pre-existing Bolshaya Kaluzhskaya Street.

Garden Ring

The reconstruction of the center of Moscow, which began in Soviet times, involved the maximum expansion of the main Moscow highways. To do this, the demolition of buildings that interfered with this process was carried out, or even the movement of entire buildings at a distance of up to hundreds of meters. Thanks to this, in the busiest areas of the Garden Ring, traffic is organized using the largest number of rows in the country.

Today, the widest road in Moscow, intended mainly for automobile traffic, is a section of the Garden Ring in the Zubovsky Boulevard area. Here 8 cars can move in a row in each direction. In some places here you can count 19 stripes.

The Pan-American Highway connects the USA and Canada with Latin American countries. It is a huge road network operating through numerous branches in 15 countries of the American continent. Its construction began in 1923 and is still ongoing in some areas.

Officially, the Pan-American Highway originates near the US-Mexico border, in the Mexican town of Nuevo Laredo. But the actual beginning of the highway is located much further north, in the city of Fairbanks, Alaska (USA).

The most famous sections of the Pan-American Highway in the north of the continent are the 2,237-kilometer-long Alaska Highway, laid across the United States and Canada, and the Inter-American Highway, the main transport artery connecting the United States with the Panama Canal. The Inter-American Highway was built during World War II to protect cargo from attacks by German submarines. It has branches in several Central American countries.

In South America, the Pan American Highway crosses the high Andes mountain ranges, runs through Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador and reaches the Pacific coast of Peru. Further, the highway runs mainly along the Pacific coast of South America, has branches to Venezuela and Colombia, and further south to Argentina and Brazil.
The southernmost point of the Pan-American Highway is considered to be the Argentine town of Ushuaia, not far from the coast of the Strait of Magellan. A project is under consideration in which the Pan-American Highway will receive another branch - to Venezuela and Colombia, then through Argentina to Brazil.

Unfortunately, no one has ever managed to drive along the largest road in the world “in one fell swoop”; it is simply impossible. The fact is that there is an impassable section of the road network 87 kilometers long. It is located on the territory of Panama and Colombia and is called the Darien Gap. Environmentalists are protesting against the construction of a highway in this area of ​​jungle and swamp, since several Panama nature reserves are nearby. Representatives of indigenous peoples living here also object – the road, in their opinion, will harm the traditional way of life.

Argentine road width

As a rule, every person always has a question regarding something very, very important in the world. For example, when many people see a road, the question also arises: which is the widest road?

Of course, no one will specifically measure the width of the road, because this is simply not realistic. Yet there are those people who were able to provide an answer to this question.

According to researchers, it is generally accepted that this road is located in the Brazilian capital, under the well-known name of Brazil. With just the name, famous TV series involuntarily run through your mind. After all, Argentine films often show people that very broad road. Although people have no idea that this road is the widest.

An engineering miracle in our time

So, the title of engineering miracle has been earned by the road, which consists of twenty-two lanes, where the length of each lane is about two and a half kilometers. This road was opened in April 1960.

It is believed that one hundred and sixty cars can drive side by side on this track. Of course, no one will specifically measure the width of the road, because this is simply not realistic. If we assume that there were still people who were able to provide an answer to this question, then this fact has not yet been documented.

Nowadays, roads that have eight or ten lanes are by no means a rare occurrence, and can be found quite often. But you don’t see twenty-lane roads very often. This is probably why in Argentina it is customary to consider this road the widest. Considering that science is rapidly moving forward, it is likely that soon it will be possible to admire such sights in Russia.

Royal Highway

In addition to the fact that there is the widest road in the world, there is also a wide highway, it is located in Canada and is called Ontario 401 or otherwise known as the “Royal Highway”. In fact, it is the busiest.

There are even rumors among the people that this particular highway is officially registered in the Guinness Book of Records, but bears the correct name, as a Highway with a wide median.

Monumental shaft

However, in addition to the widest roads, highways, there are also the widest streets. After all, the road is specifically designed for the movement of a car in the right directions, while the path is always open for any vehicle. As for the streets, they have sidewalks and certain structures and buildings on the sides. Therefore, the widest street is Julio Avenue, as it has a total of sixteen lanes. The six-row boulevard is called “Monumental Shaft” and has a width of two hundred and fifty meters. Among the freeways there is also the Katy Freeway, which in turn is an interstate highway in the United States of America. According to some reports, the highway has been widening recently as traffic flow has increased and therefore requires reconstruction. According to road construction engineers, when completed it will consist of twelve main lanes, six intermediate lanes and eight access lanes. In total there will be twenty-six stripes.

Therefore, after the completion of engineering and construction work, the status of the widest road in the world will probably be assigned to the Katy Freeway, but this is still speculation.

Some roads in the world are driven much less often than others! What is the reason? Perhaps they are too steep, too narrow, too winding. For others, on the contrary, more often - because the views are beautiful, because it is convenient and fast. For the curious reader, a list of the “best” roads in the world.

Baldwin Street is a seemingly ordinary suburban street in a town called Dunedin, on the South Island of New Zealand. But it is actually very steep: the level difference between the beginning and end of the road is as much as 70 meters - and this is over a relatively short distance of 350 meters! That is, the road literally stands vertically before the eyes of a frightened driver - and, on the contrary, it looks like a children's slide for the driver at the top point. The main thing on such a steep path is not to stall!

The iciest road in the world

The McMurdo Highway is a one and a half kilometer stretch of dirt road at the South Pole connecting the American Antarctic stations called McMurdo and Amundsen-Scott. This route is literally a series of flags, which are vital in such visibility conditions. The road is extremely dangerous, tiring and, of course, very isolated and monotonous.

The most dangerous road in the world

North Yungas Road in Bolivia is considered by many to be the most dangerous road on the planet. This section of the route, about 65 kilometers long, stretches from the Bolivian capital La Paz through the mountains to the small town of Coroico. It’s scary to think, but up to 200-300 travelers die on this route every year! Therefore, local residents called this serpentine “the road of death.” Most of the single-lane road, just over 3 meters wide, has no guardrails and runs at an altitude of up to 600 meters. During the rainy season, from November to March, rain and fog can severely impair visibility, and runoff from the mountains can sometimes turn the road into a muddy mess. In summer, dust clouds are also common here.

The most winding road in the world

The Grimsel mountain pass in the Swiss Alps doesn't rival the above-mentioned "road of death" in terms of danger, but try not to stare at the wonderful scenery along the way, because this is the most winding road in the world - and it won't take long to fall! The road starts at Meiringen, at an altitude of 600 meters, and winds through picturesque slopes to the Grimsel mountain hut located on the shore of a small lake (at an altitude of 1,874 m).

The most unusual bridge in the world

But what, a bridge is also a road! Although, is it a bridge? Judge for yourself: the Trans Tokyo Bay Expressway disappears halfway across the giant Tokyo Bay. How so? Here's how: this almost 10-kilometer highway is part bridge, part tunnel, and even with a giant floating parking lot right in the middle; yes, let's talk about convenient parking!

The longest tunnel in the world

The journey from the picturesque village of Laerdal to Aurland in Norway takes place through a 25-kilometer tunnel through a mountain range almost 1,900 meters high. The construction of the tunnel cost a whopping $125 million, but the construction was vital - during heavy winter snowfalls, getting to the neighboring point by other means became absolutely impossible.

The longest road in the world

The Pan-American Highway is recognized as the longest road in the world: it stretches as much as 47,958 kilometers from Prudhoe Bay in northern Alaska through Canada, the USA, Central and South America to the town of Ushuaia, on the southern tip of Argentina. To travel this entire route means to experience the characteristics of almost all climatic zones of the planet, and at the same time see some of the most beautiful places on Earth.

The highest bridge in the world

The Millau Viaduct is a 2460-meter bridge structure passing through the Tarn River valley in southern France at an altitude of 343 meters. The bridge, by the way, is higher than the main symbol of France, the Eiffel Tower. Can you imagine? The viaduct received as many as three world records and became one of the main attractions of the country.

The narrowest road in the world

Fairy Meadow Road in Pakistan is probably the narrowest and most dangerous road in the world. This sweet name, which means “fairy meadows”, was awarded to the road by German climbers. Among local residents, this route is known as “Jute”. The road runs through pastures near one of the base camps of Mount Nanga Parbat, in the northwestern Himalayas. The road passes at an altitude of about 3,300 meters above sea level and serves as a starting point for travelers ascending to the rugged peak.

In 1995, the Pakistani government declared the route and its surrounding beauty a National Park.

The widest road in the world

With 26 lanes, the Katy Freeway, or Interstate 10, is the widest road in the world. About 219,000 cars pass through it every day! Built in the 1960s, the highway extends 37 kilometers from its intersection with Route 610 to Katy, Texas.

The highest paved road in the world

Running at an altitude of almost 5,000 meters through the Himalayas, Karakoram and Pamirs, the 1,300-kilometer Karakoram Highway is the highest paved highway in the world.

In 1963, Pakistan and China signed an agreement to build a road that would bring mutual benefit to both countries. Darling opened in 1986.

TRAVEL AND ROADS

THE LONGEST ESCALATORS
The longest escalator system is Hong Kong Central Hillside. Its length is 800 m. It consists of moving paths and carries passengers from the Mid-le-Val area to the central market, located near the shore. After the morning startup, the system moves by inertia throughout the day.

THE SHORTEST ESCALATOR
The shortest escalator - 83.4 cm - is a moving walkway in a shopping center in Kawasaka, Japan. It was installed by Hitachi and is 20 times shorter than a conventional escalator.

LONGEST PLANE TICKET
The longest airline ticket, 12m, was issued to Belgian citizen Bruno Lehnen in December 1984. He had to cover 85,623 km using 80 airlines and make 109 transfers.

THE FASTEST TRIP FROM LONDON TO NEW YORK
You can get from central London to New York in 3 hours 59 minutes. and 44 s. on a Concorde plane. This record was set by David J. Springbett and David Boyes (Great Britain). The return journey took them 3 hours 40 minutes. 40 s. The record was set on February 8-9, 1982.

BIGGEST AIRPORT
The busiest airport is Hartsfield International in Atlanta (USA). In 1999, 78,092,940 passengers passed through it. The busiest non-American airport is London Heathrow with an annual passenger flow of 62,263,365 people.

BIGGEST AIRLINE
Delta Airlines (USA) has the busiest schedule on international and domestic routes. In 1999, Delta carried 105,534,000 passengers, with the majority (98,298,000) arriving in the United States. United Airlines and American Airlines carried 87,049,000 and 81,452,000 passengers, respectively.

THE BIGGEST INTERCONTINENTAL ROUTE
London-New York is the busiest intercontinental route. Every year, 3.82 million passengers travel the 5,539 km by air between these two cities.

BIGGEST INTERNATIONAL AIRLINE
The International Air Transport Association claims that British Airways (UK) is the largest international passenger air carrier (36,609 million people annually). In second place is the German company Lufthansa (27,287 million).

THE FASTEST TRIP AROUND THE WORLD
Michael Bartlett and David J. Springbett (Great Britain) traveled around the world in a record time of 62 hours 15 minutes. March 18-21, 2000 Using regular flights, they covered a distance of 41,010 km. Their route: London-Three Points-Auckland-Los Angeles-Chicago-Madrid-London. The rules of this trip were as follows: it was necessary to visit 2 points that are located exactly opposite each other on the globe: Thai Tree Point (New Zealand) and Madrid (Spain) are precisely the complete “antipodes”.

HIGHEST AIRPORT
Located in eastern Tibet, Bangda Airport is located at an altitude of 4,739 m above sea level. The world's longest runway (5500m) is also located here.

LOWEST INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
The lowest airport is Schifol in Amsterdam. It is located 4.5 m below sea level.

THE MOST POPULAR INTERNATIONAL ROUTE
The busiest international flight schedule is on the Hong Kong-Taiwan route.

According to estimates by the International Civil Aviation Association, 3.96 million people used this airline in 1999. In 1997, the world's 25 best airports handled 968 million people.

THE COOLEST STREET
The steepest street in the world - Baldwin Street is located in Dundean (New Zealand). It rises at an angle of 38° and is so steep that special warning signs are posted on it. By comparison, the steepest streets in San Francisco, Filbert and 22nd Streets, have a slope of only 28.35°.

THE WIDEST ROAD
The world's widest road, the Monumental Axis, is located in Brasilia (the capital of Brazil). It stretches 2.4 km from Municipal Square to Three Powers Square. This 6-lane boulevard (250 m wide) was opened in April 1960.

THE MOST MULTI-LANE ROAD
The San Francisco-Oakland Bridge in California (USA) is divided into 23 lanes.

THE NARROWEST STREET
The narrowest street is in the Italian village of Ripatranzone. It is called Vicolo della Virilita, and its width is only 43 cm.

HIGHEST TRAFFIC DENSITY
Statistics from the International Road Federation state that Monaco has the highest density of cars in relation to the total length of roads. In 1996, there were 480 cars for every kilometer of road there. If you try to park these cars one after another on the streets of Monaco, there will only be enough space for half of them.

THE BIGGEST ENDOVER
The most difficult road junction is in Orange County, USA. It consists of 34 weaves on just 2 levels. About 629,000 vehicles pass through this interchange every day. The most complex junction in Britain is considered to be Gravilly Hill, north of Birmingham, which opened on 24 May 1972. It consists of 18 interchanges on 6 levels (including a diversion channel and river).

LONGEST LENGTH OF ROADS
According to the International Road Federation, the country with the largest length of roads is the United States. It was 6,348,227 km in 1999. Then comes India with 3,319,664 km of roads and Brazil with 1,724,924 km.

GET OUT OF THIS WORLD!
American businessman Dennis Tito paid Russia $20 million to visit the space station. He started on April 28 and returned on May 6, 2001. His “vacation” can be called the most expensive trip, because he shelled out money for it from his own pocket. Other civilians on similar “trips” were either active crew members (Helen Sharman from the UK, Salman al-Saud from Saudi Arabia) or had their travel paid for by their employer (TV journalist Yoyoshiro Akiyama, Japan).
The largest spacecraft, Saturn V, carried astronauts to the Moon from 1968 to 1972. Its length was 110.6 m. The smallest is “Pegasus”, a 3-stage rocket with a length of only 15 m. “Pegasus” was first launched from a carrier aircraft in 1990. Now it has been replaced by the modern model “Pegasus XL”.

OVERCOME DISTANCES

The most traveled couple is Dr. Robert Becher and his wife Carmen (USA). They visited all the sovereign states of the world. In Japan, the Emperor gave Bob a shirt. However, there were losses. True, only once: in Korea, the spouses were left without luggage. Frederick W. Finn (Great Britain) flew 19,247,750 km by plane in 2000 - more than anyone else. It usually flies from London to New Jersey (USA). He also holds another record: he is the most frequent passenger (crossed the Atlantic 714 times) of the Concorde supersonic aircraft.

THE MOST VISITED COUNTRIES BY TOURISTS

France attracts the largest number of tourists. According to the International Tourism Organization, 73 million foreigners visited France in 1999 (11.2% of total world tourism turnover). However, the population of France itself is only 59 million.
Overall, Europe is the most popular destination among tourists. In 1999, 379.8 million people visited Europe (58.4% of all tourists).
The USA, Germany and the UK rank 1st, 2nd and 3rd respectively in terms of the amount of money their citizens spend on foreign travel (USA - $56.1 billion in 1998 and $54 billion in 1999).

Over the past few decades, the number of cars on highways has increased around the world. This, in turn, has necessitated significant efforts to promote road safety. Roads with 8 and 10 lanes are not that uncommon, but what about roads with 20 lanes? They certainly deserve to be called engineering marvels of the modern world. The definition of “the widest road in the world” is quite complicated, but let’s look at the facts. So.

At its widest point, Highway 401 (Ontario, Canada) has 18 main lanes and an additional 4 lanes as connecting ramps. When all of these lanes are taken into account for a total of 22 lanes, Highway 401 in Ontario can be considered the widest road in the world. This highway extends from Windsor, in southwestern Ontario, to Quebec in east-central Canada. Another interesting attribute of this highway is the fact that the section of this road that passes through Toronto is home to the most congested highways in North America.

Many experts believe that Monumental Axis, the central avenue of the Brazilian capital Brasilia, is the widest road in the world. Some people even claim that about 160 cars can fit on this highway side by side. Upon closer inspection, it turns out that Monumental Axis actually consists of two highways that have 6 lanes on either side, bringing the total number of lanes to 12.

As with Monumental Axis, many people also believe that the widest road in the world is Julio Avenue in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

With a total of 16 lanes, it doesn't quite qualify as the widest road in the world - but those 16 lanes make Julio Avenue the widest street in the world. To understand this, it is necessary to understand the difference between the definition of roads and streets.

Roads are defined as road forms that facilitate travel and transportation. The definition of a street generally includes sidewalks along with buildings on either side. And finally the highway
is one of the main public roads that connects two or more directions. Although both terms are used for road designations, in general - the use of the term "street" is most often used in the context of urban areas. This assumes that concepts such as sidewalks and buildings are located on both sides of the road. Taking this into account, Julio Avenue in Buenos Aires can be considered the widest road in the world.

The widest road

Argentine road width

As a rule, every person always has a question regarding something very, very important in the world. For example, when many people see a road, the question also arises: which is the widest road?

Of course, no one will specifically measure the width of the road, because this is simply not realistic. Yet there are those people who were able to provide an answer to this question.

According to researchers, it is generally accepted that this road is located in the Brazilian capital, under the well-known name of Brazil. With just the name, famous TV series involuntarily run through your mind. After all, Argentine films often show people that very broad road. Although people have no idea that this road is the widest.

An engineering miracle in our time

So, the title of engineering miracle has been earned by the road, which consists of twenty-two lanes, where the length of each lane is about two and a half kilometers. This road was opened in April 1960.

It is believed that one hundred and sixty cars can drive side by side on this track. Of course, no one will specifically measure the width of the road, because this is simply not realistic. If we assume that there were still people who were able to provide an answer to this question, then this fact has not yet been documented.

Nowadays, roads that have eight or ten lanes are by no means a rare occurrence, and can be found quite often. But you don’t see twenty-lane roads very often. This is probably why in Argentina it is customary to consider this road the widest. Considering that science is rapidly moving forward, it is likely that soon it will be possible to admire such sights in Russia.

Royal Highway

In addition to the fact that there is the widest road in the world, there is also a wide highway, it is located in Canada and is called Ontario 401 or otherwise known as the “Royal Highway”. In fact, it is the busiest.

There are even rumors among the people that this particular highway is officially registered in the Guinness Book of Records, but bears the correct name, as a Highway with a wide median.

Monumental shaft

However, in addition to the widest roads, highways, there are also the widest streets. After all, the road is specifically designed for the movement of a car in the right directions, while the path is always open for any vehicle. As for the streets, they have sidewalks and certain structures and buildings on the sides.

Therefore, the widest street is Julio Avenue, as it has a total of sixteen lanes. The six-row boulevard is called “Monumental Shaft” and has a width of two hundred and fifty meters. Among the freeways there is also the Katy Freeway, which in turn is an interstate highway in the United States of America. According to some reports, the highway has been widening recently as traffic flow has increased and therefore requires reconstruction. According to road construction engineers, when completed it will consist of twelve main lanes, six intermediate lanes and eight access lanes. In total there will be twenty-six stripes.

Therefore, after the completion of engineering and construction work, the status of the widest road in the world will probably be assigned to the Katy Freeway, but this is still speculation.

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