Explanation:

- The passage discusses the development of roads and highlights the role of key individuals in improving transportation infrastructure during the 1700s and 1800s.

- It emphasizes the significant impact investments had in building transport facilities like bridges and tunnels.

- John Metcalfe is portrayed as a remarkable road builder with a unique approach due to his blindness.

- Each word option offers a different nuance which affects the sentence meaning:

- Desire: Implies a strong personal longing or wish, more subjective.

- Requirements: Refers to specific criteria or standards that must be met, more objective.

- Wish: Suggests a personal hope or aspiration, also subjective.

- Condition: Relates to the state or quality of something, often a broader context.

- Correct Answer: 2, requirements (It suggests John Metcalfe had specific standards the road needed to meet.)