The Roman road built by Trajan to connect Rome with Brindisi by a shorter route was the Via Traiana.
Constructed in 109 AD, the Via Traiana began at Beneventum, modern Benevento, and functioned as an extension of the Via Appia toward Brundisium, modern Brindisi. Instead of following the older road through Tarentum, it passed through places including Canusium, Butuntum, and Barium, corresponding broadly to Canosa, Bitonto, and Bari.
Its advantage was not simply a shorter measurement on a map. Ancient and modern comparisons show that the Via Appia and Via Traiana were similar in total length, but the Trajanic route avoided much of the difficult hilly terrain on the older road. Strabo described the newer route as saving roughly a day of travel.
The name can cause confusion because the Via Traiana was an extension and alternative route associated with the Via Appia, not a completely unrelated road. Its construction also reflected the empire’s investment in transport during Trajan’s reign, when the route helped movement between central Italy and the Adriatic port of Brindisi.