Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
November 20, 1854 One of the first bridges to be built in the Italian city of Venice was opened to the public. This steel bridge for pedestrians spanned the Grand Canal, which is the main canal crossing Venice’s historic center. While there had been discussions about constructing a bridge in this vicinity as far... Continue Reading →
November 5, 1930 In New Jersey, a dedication ceremony was held for a bridge spanning the Hackensack River and connecting Jersey City with the town of Kearny. These Wednesday festivities featured H. Otto Wittpenn, a member of the New Jersey State Highway Commission (a predecessor to the present-day New Jersey Department of Transportation), snipping a... Continue Reading →
October 22, 1958 On a rainy Wednesday afternoon, a dedication ceremony was held for a pedestrian bridge crossing the Delaware River and connecting the borough of Portland, Pennsylvania, with the community of Columbia in Knowlton Township, New Jersey. This new structure replaced a covered bridge that had been constructed in 1869 and was destroyed by... Continue Reading →
October 17, 1988 The Tampico Bridge in eastern Mexico made its formal debut. This vehicular cable-stayed bridge carries Mexican Federal Highway 180 across the Pánuco River. The bridge specifically connects the port city of Tampico in the state of Tamaulipas with Pueblo Viejo Municipality in the state of Veracruz. Measuring 5,062 feet (1,543 meters) in... Continue Reading →
October 16, 1965 The Fitzgerald Bridge, which carries Seaham Road across the Williams River in the Australian state of New South Wales, was officially opened. This prestressed concrete bridge was named after Ray Fitzgerald (1879-1963), who served as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1941 to 1962. Measuring 862.7 feet (263... Continue Reading →
September 27, 1980 A dedication ceremony was held for a bridge in the city of Eugene in Oregon’s Lane County. Knickerbocker Bicycle Bridge, as it is popularly known, crosses the Willamette River. While originally built for use by the Eugene Water & Electric Board (EWEB) for carrying a water main across the river, the bridge... Continue Reading →
September 26, 2011 In the regional county municipality of Arthabaska in Canada’s province of Quebec, the Joseph-Édouard-Perrault Bridge in the municipality of Warwick was reopened following extensive renovations. This wooden covered bridge crosses the Rivière des Pins (River of the Pines), which is a tributary of the Nicolet River. The Joseph-Édouard-Perrault Bridge was built in... Continue Reading →
September 24, 1973 Phra Pin Klao Bridge, which crosses the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok, made its debut. This 2,158-foot (658-meter)-long structure serves as a link between the areas of Rattanakosin Island and Thonburi in Thailand’s capital and most populous city. Phra Pin Klao Bridge accommodates both motor vehicles and pedestrians. This bridge is located... Continue Reading →
September 10, 1932 In northwestern Massachusetts, a newly built bridge crossing the Connecticut River was opened. The French King Bridge serves as a link between the towns of Erving and Gill. This bridge was named after French King Rock, a nearby geographical feature. Approximately 15,000 people showed up on that Saturday for the inaugural festivities... Continue Reading →
September 9, 1963 More than a century after it had first gone into service, Linley Hall station on the Severn Valley Railway line in England’s West Midlands region was permanently closed. This railway station was opened on February 1, 1862. It had been built at the behest of Thomas C. Whitmore (1807-1865), a prominent local... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 