A plan to build an international highway linking 32 Asian countries is gaining momentum as an initial agreement takes effect.
The project will create a network linking 141,000 kilometers (nearly 88,000 miles) of roads across Eurasia, allowing road travel from Tokyo, Japan to Istanbul, Turkey.
Some countries need not build new roads, but must put up signposts identifying the route of the Asian Highway. Some places, such as South Korea and Japan, are connected by ferry.
The goal is for the route to be marked by July 2010. South Korea, China, Japan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Azerbaijan have formally signed the agreement, and 18 countries have informally agreed to it.
Bangladesh, the Philippines, Turkmenistan, Singapore and North Korea have not yet signed. Some problems, such as the opening of the heavily fortified border between South and North Korea, remain unresolved.