Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
December 21, 1829 The first stone arch railroad bridge in the United States was dedicated in Baltimore, Maryland. The Carrollton Viaduct, spanning over Gwynn’s Falls stream in the southwestern part of the city, was constructed by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. James Lloyd designed this bridge, and Caspar Weaver oversaw its construction. During the nine months... Continue Reading →
December 20, 1967 The Laviolette Bridge was officially opened in the Canadian province of Quebec. This arch bridge, which spans the Saint Lawrence River, carries two lanes of vehicular traffic in each direction via the major highway Autoroute 55. The Laviolette Bridge links the city of Trois-Rivières on the north shore of the river with... Continue Reading →
December 14, 2004 The Millau Viaduct in southern France was officially opened three years after construction on it had begun. This cable-stayed bridge is located near the commune of Millau. The 8,070-foot (2,460-meter)-long Millau Viaduct carries four lanes of the A75 autoroute (motorway) across the gorge valley of a section of the river Tarn. One... Continue Reading →
December 1, 1866 A suspension bridge spanning the Ohio River between Cincinnati, Ohio, and Covington, Kentucky, was opened to the public when people were first allowed to walk across the new structure. The next day’s edition of the Cincinnati-based Commercial Gazette reported, “The new bridge was thronged throughout the day, fully 20,000 having crossed between sunrise... Continue Reading →
November 17, 1913 The Eighth Street Bridge in Allentown, Pennsylvania, was formally opened to traffic. At the time of its debut, this 17-arch structure -- measuring 2,650 feet (810 meters) in length and 138 feet (42 meters) in height -- was the world’s longest and highest concrete bridge. This bridge came into existence because the Lehigh... Continue Reading →
November 9, 1967 The Poplar Street Bridge, which spans the Mississippi River and connects St. Louis, Missouri, with East St. Louis, Illinois, was officially opened to traffic. Missouri Highway News magazine reported at that time, “Clean of line but strong of sinew, the Bridge is a masterful blending of beauty and function.” This 2,164-foot (660-meter)-long structure, which... Continue Reading →
October 19, 1973 In the Canadian province of British Columbia, a key transit exchange for buses was opened at Highway 1 and Main Street in the city of North Vancouver. (This waterfront municipality is located on the North Shore of Burrard Inlet and directly across from the larger city of Vancouver.) That transit exchange was... Continue Reading →
October 12, 2014 Construction began on the Kazungula Bridge between the Republic of Zambia and the Republic of Botswana in the southern region of Africa. The Kazungula Bridge carries vehicular, rail, and pedestrian traffic over the Zambezi River, which is the fourth longest river in Africa and the largest river flowing into the Indian Ocean... Continue Reading →
September 30, 2008 The Megyeri Bridge in Hungary’s capital city of Budapest was officially opened to vehicular traffic. This 6,109-foot (1,862-meter)-long bridge, which carries the M0 motorway over the River Danube, serves as a link between both of Budapest’s main sections: Buda in the western part of the city; and Pest on the eastern side.... Continue Reading →
August 31, 2011 The Rędziński Bridge, which spans the section of the Oder river in the city of Wrocław in southwestern Poland, was officially opened. This cable-stayed bridge is a part of the A8 motorway, and that 16.7-mile (26.8-kilometer) route was likewise opened to vehicular traffic on the same day. With a total length of... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 