09/08/2025
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09/08/2025
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In March 1902, Prince Albert I asked Swiss doctor Guglielminetti how to deal with the dust stirred up by cars on the streets of Monaco, especially during the motor racing season. At the time, the doctor had no answer, as he was preoccupied with other matters. Soon after, he traveled to the Netherlands, where the government assigned him to remote islands such as Java, Sumatra, and Borneo. There, he experienced many amazing adventures.
However, he returned home in 1890 after the death of his mother and later went on a journey to Mont Blanc to assist in establishing an astronomical observatory near the summit. Due to his fear of heights, he focused increasingly on physiological experiments. This eventually led him to develop a breathing apparatus that, after continuous refinement, proved invaluable to firefighters, mountaineers, balloonists, pilots, and divers.
It also played a big role in advancing anesthesia techniques. As his reputation grew, he was appointed in 1894 as the personal physician to the Prince of Monaco. Based on his earlier experiences in Southeast Asia, he finally found the answer to Prince Albert’s question. He recommended covering the roads with tar, which was waterproof and easy to clean. He had seen this at a hospital in Sumatra. As a result, tar waste from the principality’s gas plant, which had previously been dumped into the sea, was repurposed to pave a section of the Nice-Monte Carlo National Road. Despite objections from environmental and animal rights groups over the growing use of tar in road construction, the practice quickly gained momentum.
Technology improved and spread throughout Europe with the development of modern machines that heated tar for application on roads. Tar, derived from coal, differs from bitumen, which is obtained from petroleum. However, because tar is carcinogenic, its use in road construction was phased out by the mid-1980s. As is typical of great humanists, Dr. Gaudron, a nickname that Dr. Guglielminetti later earned due to his work in this regard, never sought to patent any of his inventions.
However, he was always highly honored, and his brilliant idea for paving roads secured his place in history. This story reflects the connection between France, Monaco, and Dr. Gaudron, but the credit for today’s asphalt roads belongs to a multi-stage development involving several key pioneers. Perhaps the person most closely associated with the modern concept of asphalt-covered roads is the Belgian-American chemist Edmund J. Desmedt.
In the early 19th century, Scottish engineer John Loudon MacAdam revolutionized road construction by developing a method called “macadam.” This technique involved layering angular crushed stones so they would bind together under the weight of traffic, creating a hard, durable surface. This was a significant improvement over traditional dirt roads. However, MacAdam’s original design did not use an asphalt binder; instead, the roads were stabilized with stone dust and water. In the early 20th century, British engineer Edgar Hooley patented a process for mixing hot tar with crushed stone. He called this new material “tarmac,” a term that later became synonymous with airport runways.
Desmedt, a pioneer of modern asphalt paving, developed a technique he called “sheet asphalt paving” while studying at Columbia University in 1870. This method used a finely ground mixture of sand and a petroleum-derived binder (bitumen), which became the foundation of modern asphalt concrete. In the same year, Desmedt laid the first true asphalt pavement in the United States, in New Jersey. His work culminated in the paving of Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C., in 1876, a major project that demonstrated the effectiveness and durability of his method and led to its widespread adoption. While ancient civilizations were the first to use asphalt for paving, it was MacAdam and Hooley who developed the foundational techniques, and Desmedt who is credited with inventing the first modern asphalt pavement.
Note: We thank His Excellency the Minister of Municipal and Housing Affairs Abdullatif Al-Mishari for his kind call to confirm the commitment of both ministries to some of the points raised in yesterday’s article, and to confirm an upcoming meeting to discuss the remaining proposals.
By Ahmad alsarraf
email: [email protected]
