The world's strangest roads

More than just transport links between two places, these roads each have their own unique and bizarre features, making them magnets for avid travelers.

Part of the Atlantic Ocean Road, hailed as Norway's "Construction of the Century," the Storseisundet Bridge has plenty of oddities that draw adventurous drivers. Most striking is a challenging curve that, seen from below, makes the bridge look as if it ends abruptly at the top of its climb. The design lets large ships pass beneath the bridge. (Photo: Ky0n Cheng).

The road the bridge belongs to is about 8 km long and winds along a zigzag route full of unexpected bends. As a result, Storseisundet is considered one of the most dangerous bridges in the world. Even so, it still draws visitors with its romantic seaside scenery. (Photo: Pinterest).

Just over 1.2 km long, the Guoliang Tunnel in the Taihang Mountains is one of the most remarkable roads in China. The road through the solid rock was built in the 1970s. Most of the digging was done by 13 residents of Guoliang village over a period of five years. Their reward was a tunnel wide enough for a bus, which has turned the area into a popular tourist attraction. (Photo: Yuangeng Zhang).

According to Guinness World Records, Baldwin Street (in the city of Dunedin, New Zealand) is the world's steepest residential street, with a maximum gradient of 19 degrees. The street, which runs up and down Signal Hill, has drawn tourists for years. Images of pedestrians trudging up the slope are widely shared on social media. Baldwin's title as the steepest street is a source of local pride and has inspired residents to hold annual festivals there. (Photo: Deyan Denchev).

Located in Ladakh, a region of India that was formerly part of the state of Jammu and Kashmir and is now a union territory, Magnetic Hill is a place that seems to defy the rules of gravity. The hill sits on the region's main highway, and the surrounding slopes create an optical illusion that makes passing cars appear to roll uphill when they are actually rolling downhill. There is even a sign marking where the phenomenon begins and telling drivers how to experience the illusion. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons).

Linking Osaka, Kyoto and Kobe in Japan, the Hanshin Expressway has a section that runs through the 16-story Gate Tower Building. The road is separated from the building by barriers that reduce noise and vibration, but because the building completely surrounds the road, the two structures look connected from the outside. (Photo: Tupungato).

On the Civic Musical Road in Lancaster (California, U.S.), a carmaker used deep grooves at varying intervals to create music. Drivers passing along this stretch hear a melody resembling the finale of the "William Tell Overture". (Photo: Trevor Cox).

Located in western Norway, Trollstigen is a narrow road snaking up a mountainside with 11 hairpin bends. Its thrilling turns and spectacular views of the mountains and waterfalls have made it famous. About 150,000 vehicles travel Trollstigen each year, a number that has risen steadily since the road was built in the 1930s. Trollstigen is closed in winter, and visitors can usually only drive it from May to October. (Photo: Karen Blaha).