Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
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 →
December 13, 1963 The Murchison Highway on the Australian island state of Tasmania was officially opened. This highway, which is located on Tasmania’s West Coast, covers a total of 91 miles (147 kilometers) between the township of Somerset in the north and the town of Zeehan in the south. The inauguration of the Murchison Highway... Continue Reading →
October 28, 2017 About two years after it had been opened to the public, the Lyman Bridge between New Hampshire and Vermont was officially dedicated in a Saturday morning ceremony. This beam bridge crosses the Connecticut River and serves as a link between the community of West Lebanon within the city of Lebanon in New... 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 →
September 11, 1935 Ground was broken on the first section of the Appalachian Scenic Highway, which is now known as the Blue Ridge Parkway. These initial building efforts took place along a 12.5-mile (20.1-kilometer) stretch near the western North Carolina-Virginia border, specifically in the vicinity of North Carolina’s Cumberland Knob mountain peak. The ultimate result of... 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 →
August 23, 1992 Gore Hill Freeway in Sydney, Australia’s most populous city and the capital of the state of New South Wales (NSW), was formally introduced to the public in a Sunday morning ceremony. That day’s edition of the Sydney Morning Herald reported, “The $27 million Gore Hill Freeway officially opens today, improving access to... Continue Reading →
August 12, 2004 In Greece, a bridge crossing the Gulf of Corinth (an inlet of the Ionian Sea) was opened to the public. This bridge serves as a link between the towns of Rio (also known as Rion) on the Pelponnese peninsula and Antirrio on the country’s western mainland. The Rio-Antirrio Bridge carries the Greek... Continue Reading →
July 23, 1985 A prestressed concrete box-girder bridge in Thailand’s Nonthaburi Province was inaugurated. The bridge carries Rattanathibet Road (Highway 302) across the Chao Phraya River, which is the country’s major river, and connects the area between the subdistricts of Sai Ma and Bang Kraso with the subdistrict of Suan Yai. Construction on this bridge... Continue Reading →
July 3, 1938 On the eve of the United States’ 162nd birthday, NBC Radio conducted a nationwide broadcast commemorating the Lincoln Highway a quarter-century after an association was established to promote that coast-to-coast vehicular road. This radio program featured interviews with several Lincoln Highway Association (LHA) officials who had been instrumental in helping to create ... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 