Corduroy road
![In war, corduroy roads are often used as an emergency measure where bad-quality roads have been damaged by the large numbers of vehicles or troops that have passed over them. Seen here are Germans in Yugoslavia in 1944.](/Images/godic/202501/06/Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-J28413,_Jugoslawien,_deutscher_Rückzug1704.jpg")
![Excavation of a corduroy road from the 16th century in Oranienburg, Germany](/Images/godic/202501/06/Oranienburg-breite-strasse1704.jpg")
![Corduroy road in wet season Cape York Peninsula, Australia. 1990](/Images/godic/202501/06/Corrugated_road_in_wet_season._CYP_19901704.jpg")
![](/Images/godic/202501/06/High_Five1704.jpg")
A corduroy road or log road is a type of road made by placing sand-covered logs, sometimes known as "punchings," perpendicular to the direction of the road over a low or swampy area. The result is an improvement over impassable mud or dirt roads, yet rough in the best of conditions and a hazard to horses due to shifting loose logs.