Avenida 9 de Julio in Buenos Aires, Argentina, holds the Guinness World Record for the widest street in the world, approximately 140 meters. It contains a total of 16 lanes, so switching from one side to the other is quite difficult.
The history of Avenida 9 de Julio can be traced back to the glory days of the Argentine capital. Buenos Aires was called the "Paris of South America," so the local authorities decided to cement that reputation by building a monumental piece of infrastructure inspired by the Champs Elysees in Paris.
A simple copy wasn't enough, they wanted something bigger, more impressive, so they settled on an urban highway running through the city center that was twice the width of the famous French avenue. It was a colossal project that took nearly half a century to complete, but in 1980, Avenida 9 de Julio was finally completed. It still holds the record for "the widest street in the world."
Creating enough space for a street wider than any other in the center of a metropolis was in itself a formidable challenge that resulted in the demolition of 60 square meters of urban real estate and the displacement of thousands of residents just to complete the section. her first.
Today, Avenida 9 de Julio remains as impressive as when it was inaugurated in 1980 and twice as chaotic. With a total of 16 lanes from one side to the other, as well as four additional lanes for public transport buses, a central pedestrian area and no less than seven sidewalks between the car lanes, it takes quite a while to get through.
A TikToker recently filmed himself walking from one side of Avenida 9 de Julio to the other, and it took him 4 minutes and 17 seconds, even though he claimed he was walking faster than usual. This includes all the time he spent waiting at traffic lights. By comparison, the average road takes just 25 seconds to cross.
Interestingly, Avenida 9 de Julio claimed the title of 'widest street in the world' with the help of two other streets. On the east side of the street is Carlos Pellegrini Street and on the west is Cerrito Street.
In practice, both function as additional lanes for the Avenue, so their combined six lanes are taken into account when measuring the width of Avenida 9 de Julio. Without them, it would be only 120 meters wide, compared to the official 140 meters. /Telegraph/
