C14 road (Namibia)

{{Short description|Secondary route in Namibia}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2024}}

{{Infobox road

| country=NAM

| type=C

| route=14

| image=Kuiseb.1.JPG

| image_notes = The C14 crossing over the Kuiseb River Canyon. The bridge was built in 1965{{Cite web | title=Namibian Roads in History | last=Dierks | first=Klaus | authorlink=Klaus Dierks | page=Appendix Table 4: List of Major Structures for 1995 | url=https://www.klausdierks.com/Namibian_Roads/10.htm | accessdate=31 August 2024}}

| direction_a = South

| direction_b = North

| terminus_a = {{Jct|country=NAM|B|4}} at Goageb

| junction = {{Jct|country=NAM|C|13}} at Helmeringhausen
{{Jct|country=NAM|C|19}} at Maltahöhe
{{Jct|country=NAM|C|24}} near Solitaire
{{Jct|country=NAM|C|19}} at Solitaire
{{Jct|country=NAM|C|26}} near the Kuiseb River Canyon

| terminus_b = {{Jct|country=NAM|B|2}} in Walvis Bay

| villages = Helmeringhausen, Solitaire, Bethanie

| previous_type=C

| previous_route=13

| next_type=C

| next_route=15

}}

The C14, also the MR 36, is an untarred road in Namibia. It starts in Walvis Bay and goes south-east through Solitaire, Maltahöhe, Helmeringhausen and ends in Goageb. It is {{Convert|643|km}} long and rises up to an altitude of {{Convert|1,528|m}} above sea level. The steepest gradient is 1:9.{{cite web|title=Navigating Namibia's C14 Road: Desert Adventures and Must-Know Tips | url=https://www.dangerousroads.org/africa/namibia/6395-c14.html | website=Dangerous roads | publisher=dangerousroads.org | accessdate=31 August 2024}}

The C14 is one of the major tourist routes in Namibia, leading to the tourist attractions {{ill|Vogelfederberg|de}}, Kuiseb River and Canyon, Gaub River Canyon, the Tropic of Capricorn road sign ({{coord|23|30|00|S|15|46|19|E |region:NA_type:landmark |display=inline}}), Solitaire and Helmeringhausen.{{cite web|title=C14 Road in Namibia|url=https://independent-travellers.com/namibia/c14/|website=Independent Travellers|publisher=independent-travellers.com|accessdate=17 January 2018}} It touches the Namib-Naukluft National Park and also serves an access road to Sossusvlei, Sesriem, Duwisib Castle, and the Fish River Canyon.{{Cite news | title=Dedication results in good gravel roads | last=Terblanché | first=Niël | newspaper=Informanté | date=20 May 2020 | url=https://informante.web.na/?p=291536}}

The C14 is frequently in bad condition, with tourist travel by sedan "not advisable". Even though it would also be a much shorter connection between the major ports of Lüderitz and Walvis Bay, there are no plans to tar this road due to fears of unsustainability.{{Cite news | title=Namibia’s roads in for a pounding | last=Goddard | first=Eugene | newspaper=Southern Africa's freight news | date=14 April 2022 | url=https://www.freightnews.co.za/article/namibias-roads-pounding}}