Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
March 25, 1992 The Ria Bridge, which is located in northwestern Spain’s autonomous community of Galicia, was opened to traffic. (A ria is a coastal inlet that has been formed for the partial submergence of a river that was never covered or otherwise impacted by any glaciers or ice sheets.) This bridge is part of... Continue Reading →
March 18, 2017 An inaugural ceremony was held for a cable-stayed highway bridge built between the Federative Republic of Brazil; and French Guiana, an overseas department and region of France. This structure spans the Oyapock River and links the Brazilian municipality of Oiapoque in the state of Amapá with the French Guianese commune of Saint-Georges-de-l’Oyapock... Continue Reading →
March 6, 1998 In northeastern Wales, a bridge in the county of Flintshire was formally opened. This cable-stayed bridge, spanning the Dee Estuary, connects both Flint and Connah’s Quay – each collectively classified as a town and community – with the area just north of the River Dee and at the southern part of the... Continue Reading →
February 13, 1851 A railway station in southeastern England’s village of Hamstreet first went into service. This station was built as part of the South Eastern Railway (SER), which operated in this area of the country from 1836 to 1922. At the time of its opening, the station was spelled out as “Ham Street” rather... Continue Reading →
January 28, 1988 A cantilever bridge spanning the Ohio River was officially opened. This bridge connects Washington Township (near the city of Portsmouth) in Ohio with the community of South Portsmouth in Kentucky. It was named after Carl D. Perkins (1912-1984), who served as a U.S. congressman from Kentucky from 1949 until his death. Measuring... Continue Reading →
January 21, 2019 A bridge in the Gambia (officially called the Republic of the Gambia) was opened to the public. This bridge, which connects the country’s northern and southern regions, carries the Trans-Gambia Highway across the Gambia River. Measuring 1.2 miles (1.9 kilometers) in length, the structure is one of West Africa’s longest bridges. This... Continue Reading →
January 9, 1960 In a Saturday ceremony, a cantilever truss bridge in northern Delaware was officially dedicated. This structure, which was named the Summit Bridge after a community in that vicinity of the state, crosses the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal. (This canal connects the Delaware River with the Chesapeake Bay.) The Summit Bridge replaced a... Continue Reading →
January 7, 1813 A little over eight months after construction on it had begun, a wooden bridge crossing the Schuylkill River in the Philadelphia neighborhood of Fairmount was officially opened. This bridge was built by Lewis Wernwag (1769-1843). This structure had a clear span of 340 feet and three inches (103.7 meters) and it became... Continue Reading →
January 3, 2008 A bridge crossing Keppel Bay in the southernmost section of the Central Region of Singapore made its public debut. This bridge carries both motor vehicles and pedestrians between Keppel Island and the mainland. It also carries lines for water, electricity, and other essential services to Keppel Island. Measuring 820 feet (250 meters)... Continue Reading →
December 24, 1915 At 4:00 p.m., a recently finished masonry arch bridge in northwest Washington, D.C., made its ceremony-free debut. This Christmas Eve opening was authorized by U.S. Army Major Charles W. Kutz (1870-1951), the military civil engineer member of the three-person Board of Commissioners that governed the city at that time. The completion of... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 