[skxx]

It's a fun myth but it's not true. The SRBs for the Space Shuttle were designed to satisfy their mission criteria. While any similarity between US rail widths today and Roman roads is due more to happenstance than a direct result.

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/railroad-gauge-chariots/

[kanox]

> What's True: The standard U.S. railroad gauge is similar in width to the wheel spacing of Roman chariots.

> What's False: That similarity is based much more on coincidence and inherent physical limitations than a direct line of imitation.

The width of chariots/wagons/car/trains doesn't vary all that much, not compared to stuff like sailing ships.

But the Space Shuttle SRBs have a considerably larger diameter (3.7m compared to 1.435m rails) so it's more likely due to civil engineering standards: you can only transport something so big until you need to take down power lines and cut down trees.

The Falcon 9 has the same diameter and it was explicitly chosen because it's the maximum transportable by road.