Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
In Western Asia, a ceremony was held during a key phase in the construction of a series of bridges and causeways between Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. The ceremony involved Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, prime minister of Bahrain, pressing a button that installed a section of box girders developed for the project. This installation,... Continue Reading →
Francis Goold Morony Stoney, an engineer whose accomplishments and influence extended to transportation infrastructure across the globe, was born in County Tipperary in Ireland. Early on in his career, he worked on building railways in Ireland. Ultimately, however, Stoney’s engineering efforts assumed international proportions. Starting in 1865, for example, he spent time in Peru on... Continue Reading →
In Indonesia, the main span of the Suramadu Bridge was connected successfully in a midnight ceremony. The bridge, which crosses the Madura Strait between the city of Surabaya on the island of Java and the town of Bangkalan on the island of Madura, had been built by the Indonesian construction companies PT Adhi Karya (Persero)... Continue Reading →
In the Philippines, Cape Bojeador Lighthouse on the island of Luzon was first lit. At the time, the Philippines was under Spanish rule. The lighthouse was constructed on Vigia de Nagpartian Hill at Cape Bojeador in the town of Burgos, and it overlooks the South China Sea. Cape Bojeador Lighthouse marks Luzon’s northwestern-most point. The... Continue Reading →
After more than three years of construction, a railway bridge in the city of Krasnoyarsk in Siberia (part of the Russian Empire at the time) was completed. The six-span Krasnoyarsk Railway Bridge, measuring 3,300 feet in length, was built to carry the Trans-Siberian Railway over the Yenisei River. Construction on the railway line, which is... Continue Reading →
In Hong Kong, a significant portion of Tsing Sha Highway was first opened to traffic. The Friday morning debut took place five years and four months after construction on this segment of a major expressway in one of the world’s most densely populated regions had begun. The segment, which extends from Sha Tin (an area... Continue Reading →
A major transportation development for the kingdom of Jordan took place when a new passenger terminal at the Middle East nation’s leading airport was dedicated. Jordan’s King Abdullah II attended the Thursday ceremony at Queen Alia International Airport (QAIA) - located 20 miles south of the capital city of Amman - and formally inaugurated the... Continue Reading →
The final part of the Yamate Tunnel in Tokyo, Japan, was opened 13 years after work on the structure began. Nearly all of the deep underground tunnel, which has two lanes in each direction for vehicular traffic, lies beneath a street called Yamate Dori in Japan’s capital city. The Yamate Tunnel has become a key... Continue Reading →
A new and record-setting dual carriageway (divided highway) toll bridge was opened in the Malaysian state of Penang. The Sultan Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah Bridge, which was formally designated Expressway 28 (E28) and is also known as the Penang Second Bridge, took a little over five years to construct. With one lane for motorcycles and... Continue Reading →
In an early and important aviation milestone for Siam (now known as Thailand), three army officers departed the kingdom to undergo flight training in France. The officers were Major Luang Sakdi Sanlayawut (Sakdi), Captain Luang Arwut Likitkam (Arwut), and Lieutenant Tip Ketuthat (Tip). Their training began just over a year after Belgian aviator Charles Van... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 