Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
April 29, 2021 A pedestrian suspension bridge in the vicinity of northern Portugal’s municipality of Arouca was first opened. With a length of 1,693 feet (516 meters), this structure is one of the world’s longest pedestrian suspension bridges. This bridge was named “Arouca 516” in reference to both its measurement in meters and the municipality... Continue Reading →
April 18, 1889 The original version of Read Bridge in Singapore first went into service. Construction on this bridge began in 1881 and it was built across the part of the Singapore River that is within the area known as Clarke Quay. At the time of Read Bridge’s debut, Singapore was one of the British... Continue Reading →
February 12, 2010 Wilford Suspension Bridge, located in the city and unitary authority area of Nottingham in England’s region of East Midlands, was formally reopened at 12:30 p.m. to the public after an extensive restoration. This structure crosses the River Trent and actually serves as a combined suspension bridge and aqueduct. Wilford Suspension Bridge connects... Continue Reading →
January 22, 1960 A steel girder bridge in Pennsylvania’s capital city of Harrisburg was officially opened. The multi-lane John Harris Bridge carries Interstate 83 and that region’s Capital Beltway across the Susquehanna River. This bridge was specifically named after John Harris Sr. (1673-1748), a prominent trader and ferry operator in that area. Harrisburg was likewise... Continue Reading →
December 10, 1910 The Hawthorne Bridge in Portland, Oregon, was officially opened to traffic. This bridge had been designed by Waddell & Harrington and, as part of the inaugural festivities, C.K. Allen from that engineering firm formally recommended acceptance of the new structure to the city. Portland Mayor Joseph Simon responded by declaring, “Let it open!” This... Continue Reading →
November 28, 2005 In south-central Connecticut, a newly built train station in the town of Guilford was opened for use. Guilford station, which is maintained by the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT), is part of the regional commuter rail service formally known as Shore Line East (SLE). SLE operates in southern Connecticut along a segment... Continue Reading →
November 27, 2013 A renovated drawbridge in Busan Metropolitan City in South Korea was officially reopened. (Busan is second only to Seoul as South Korea’s most populous city.) This bridge, which spans Busan Bay, connects Yeong Island (formally designated as Yeongdo District) with Jung District on the mainland portion of the city. Yeongdo Bridge was... Continue Reading →
November 16, 2019 In the San Francisco Bay Area, a dedication ceremony – complete with a ribbon-cutting -- was held less than two weeks before Thanksgiving for a bicycle and pedestrian path that had recently been added to the San Rafael-Richmond Bridge (officially named the John F. McCarthy Memorial Bridge in honor of a longtime... Continue Reading →
November 10, 1955 The East Capitol Street Bridge in Southeast Washington, D.C., was officially opened. This bridge, carrying East Capitol Street across the Anacostia River, had been built to help reduce increasingly heavy traffic in that region of the nation’s capital. The dedication ceremony for the East Capitol Street Bridge commenced at 3:30 on that... Continue Reading →
November 3, 2000 In the Japanese region of Chūgoku, a vehicular bridge spanning the Amagaseto Strait was opened to traffic. This 5,840-foot (1,780-meter)-long structure connects the small island of Tsunoshima with Honshu (Japan’s largest and most populous island). The Tsunoshima Bridge is second only to the Akashi Kaikyō Bridge, which is located in the Kansai... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 