{"schema":"https://ver.cy/schemas/card/1.0.0","id":"vr.tr.corduroy-road","code":"thing-q1240054","url":"https://ver.cy/models/thing/q1240054/","name":"corduroy road","alternateNames":[],"kind":"thing","status":"published","version":"0.2.0-wave.3","language":"en","classifiers":{"family":"Thing Registry","category":"Physical world and living systems","entryKind":"thing","plane":"PHY","domain":["PHY.BLT"],"industry":[],"navPath":"","tags":[],"facets":{}},"whatItIs":"A road made by laying logs side by side across its width, perpendicular to the direction of travel, over swampy or muddy ground to provide a firm if bumpy surface, used extensively in North American frontier settlement and the American Civil War, and in wartime logistics such as the Eastern Front; corduroy roads are quick to build from local timber but rough, slippery and short-lived, and many survive as archaeological features; the Sweet Track used a raised plank walkway and is not a corduroy road.","purpose":"Let an agent explain corduroy roads and their construction, relay history and archaeological examples from historical and engineering sources, describe their use in military and frontier contexts, and distinguish corduroy roads from plank roads, boardwalks and timber trackways of other designs.","scope":{"in":[],"out":[],"boundaries":[]},"distinguishingFeatures":["Crosswise logs","Soft ground crossing","Rapid construction","Rough surface"],"structure":{"bundles":[{"id":"understand","name":"Understand","description":"What a corduroy road is.","layers":[{"id":"definition","name":"Definition","description":"Definition.","findings":[{"id":"definition-finding","name":"Definition","description":"Definition.","questions":[{"text":"What is a corduroy road, and how does it differ from plank roads, boardwalks and other timber trackways?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Is the question about corduroy roads, plank roads or prehistoric trackways?","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"construction","name":"Construction","description":"Construction.","findings":[{"id":"construction-finding","name":"Construction","description":"Construction.","questions":[{"text":"How are corduroy roads built, and what determines their durability?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Which entry fits the specific technique?","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"history","name":"History","description":"History.","layers":[{"id":"prehistoric","name":"Prehistoric","description":"Prehistoric trackways.","findings":[{"id":"prehistoric-finding","name":"Prehistoric","description":"Prehistoric.","questions":[{"text":"What do the Sweet Track, Corlea and other trackways reveal, as archaeologists describe?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which references are standard?","kind":"provenance"}]}]},{"id":"frontier","name":"Frontier","description":"Frontier and military.","findings":[{"id":"frontier-finding","name":"Frontier","description":"Frontier.","questions":[{"text":"How were corduroy roads used in North American settlement and in wars from the Civil War to the world wars?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which sources are cited?","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]},{"id":"today","name":"Today","description":"Today.","layers":[{"id":"forestry","name":"Forestry","description":"Forestry use.","findings":[{"id":"forestry-finding","name":"Forestry","description":"Forestry.","questions":[{"text":"How are corduroy roads and log mats used in forestry and construction today?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits forest road?","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"archaeology","name":"Archaeology","description":"Surviving examples.","findings":[{"id":"archaeology-finding","name":"Archaeology","description":"Archaeology.","questions":[{"text":"Where do corduroy roads survive, and how are they found and preserved?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits the specific site?","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"context","name":"Context","description":"Culture.","layers":[{"id":"language","name":"Language","description":"Name.","findings":[{"id":"language-finding","name":"Language","description":"Language.","questions":[{"text":"Why is the road named after corduroy fabric, and what other names exist?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits road terminology?","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"culture","name":"Culture","description":"Culture.","findings":[{"id":"culture-finding","name":"Culture","description":"Culture.","questions":[{"text":"How do corduroy roads appear in travel writing and history?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits frontier history?","kind":"action"}]}]}]}]},"agentConduct":{"may":["Describe corduroy roads, their history and archaeological examples.","Warn generally that log surfaces are slippery and uneven."],"mustNot":["Encourage driving heavy vehicles on decayed log roads.","Disturb preserved ancient trackways in bogs.","Confuse corduroy roads with plank roads."],"requiresHuman":["Building or removing a log road in a protected wetland."]},"ethics":{"considerations":["Ancient trackways are rare heritage preserved in wetlands.","Wetland roads can damage habitats if built carelessly."],"affectedParties":["Users of the route","Wetland habitats","Heritage researchers"]},"owners":{"steward":"The landowner or the authority managing the track or site.","roles":[],"masterSystems":["Archaeological site registers"]},"relations":[{"target":"Q3444711","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"side road","type":"related","note":"in registry terms"},{"target":"wetland","type":"related","note":"and swamps"},{"target":"plank road","type":"related","note":"made of sawn planks"},{"target":"Sweet Track","type":"related","note":"a prehistoric trackway"}],"interaction":{"identity":{"applicability":"required","items":["Vercy registry: vr.tr.corduroy-road","Wikidata: Q1240054 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1240054)"]},"properties":{"applicability":"required","items":["Sweet Track: about 3807 BCE date - dendrochronology","log diameter: about 15-30 cm - typical","service life: a few years note - without maintenance"]},"recognition":{"applicability":"required","items":["Road of crosswise logs over soft ground","Frontier and military corduroy roads, prehistoric timber trackways","Plank roads use sawn planks lengthwise; boardwalks are raised; brushwood roads use bundles","A road surface of parallel logs laid crosswise, often part-buried in mud."]},"capabilities":{"applicability":"required","items":["explain construction","relay history and examples","describe military and frontier use","distinguish related roads"]},"hazards":{"applicability":"required","items":["Rough and slippery surface","Rapid decay","Confusing with plank roads"]},"interfaces":{"applicability":"required","items":["Forestry road construction guidance","Archaeological protection of timber trackways","Wetland regulations restricting new construction"]},"context":{"applicability":"required","items":["Crossing soft ground with a log surface.","prehistoric timber trackways such as the Sweet Track and Corlea Trackway","frontier corduroy roads in North America","military corduroy roads in the Civil War and world wars","logging and forest corduroy roads","modern geotextile and log mat alternatives"]}},"sources":[{"title":"Wikidata item Q1240054: corduroy road","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1240054","note":"identity and sense of the item"},{"title":"Wikipedia: Corduroy road","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corduroy_road","note":"general description of the item"}],"openQuestions":["Should plank road and timber trackway be separate primary entries?","How should historical and engineering sources be linked?","How should surviving examples be recorded?"],"resources":{"spec":"/models/things/publications/thing-q1240054/spec.json"},"provenance":{"origin":"thing registry research (pass 2)","builtFrom":["models/things/publications/thing-q1240054/spec.json"],"providers":["Claude"],"researchStatus":"unreviewed","generatedAt":"2026-09-13T06:04:02Z","builder":"tools/build_cards.py@1.0.0"},"completeness":{"sections":{"classifiers":"filled","whatItIs":"filled","purpose":"filled","distinguishingFeatures":"filled","structure":"filled","agentConduct":"filled","ethics":"filled","owners":"filled","relations":"filled","interaction.identity":"filled","interaction.properties":"filled","interaction.recognition":"filled","interaction.capabilities":"filled","interaction.hazards":"filled","interaction.interfaces":"filled","interaction.context":"filled","sources":"filled"},"notes":{"_gate":"Published through the thing publication gate 1.0 on 2026-10-07T10:10:25+00:00: completeness 1.00; sense: Wikidata description; 2 live sources; review by codex: pass"},"score":1.0}}