Musical road

For the section of road in Tennessee known as "Music Highway", see Interstate 40 in Tennessee.

Sign next to the Tijeras Musical Road
Grooves cut into the asphalt cause passing cars to vibrate, producing a melody

A musical road is a road, or section of a road, which when driven over causes a tactile vibration and audible rumbling that can be felt through the wheels and body of the vehicle. This rumbling is heard within the car as well as the surrounding area, in the form of a musical tune.[1] Musical roads are known to exist in Hungary, Japan, South Korea, the United States, China, Iran,[2] Taiwan,[3] Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates, Argentina[4] and Russia.[5] In the past, they could be found in France, Denmark, and the Netherlands as well.

Each note is produced by varying the spacing of strips in, or on, the road. For example, an E note requires a frequency of around 330 vibrations a second. Therefore, strips 2.4 in (61 mm) apart will produce an E note in a vehicle travelling at 45 mph (72 km/h).[6]

  1. ^ Johnson, Bobbie (13 November 2007). "Japan's melody roads play music as you drive". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 1 September 2013. Retrieved 8 May 2012.
  2. ^ "First musical road built in Iran". Iran Daily. 22 October 2018. Archived from the original on 6 November 2018.
  3. ^ "Taiwan's 'musical road' unveiled". The Taipei Times. Archived from the original on 16 October 2022. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
  4. ^ "¿Conocés la ruta argentina queue canta?". Pergamino Verdad. Archived from the original on 2 December 2022. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  5. ^ "Трасса М-11 запела «Калинку-Малинку»: в России впервые появилась музыкальная разметка". IXBT. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
  6. ^ Nalewicki, Jennifer (23 March 2016). "If You Drive The Right Speed, This Musical Highway Will Play You a Song". Smithsonian Magazine. Archived from the original on 26 March 2016. Retrieved 25 July 2021.