Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
February 10, 1941 A unique type of transportation for delivering mail via highways in the United States made its inaugural run. This means of mobility was the Highway Post Office, a large motor vehicle that had been specially outfitted to help process and move the mail as quickly as possible over long distances. The origins... Continue Reading →
December 15, 1924 The first national initiative to address the widespread and steadily increasing fatalities and injuries caused by traffic accidents was launched in Washington, D.C. This initiative was a two-day conference. More than 900 representatives of municipal and state police departments, automobile organizations, other stakeholders in the motor-vehicle industry, educational groups, and civic associations... Continue Reading →
December 8, 1921 The eighth annual meeting of the American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHO) came to an end. (More than a half-century later, AASHO officially renamed itself the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials [AASHTO] to reflect what had become a broader mission encompassing different modes of transportation rather than just... 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 →
Irene Rico’s longtime career with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) began in 1985 when she joined the agency as a highway engineer trainee. She had received a B.S. in civil engineering from the University of Texas at El Paso the previous year, and would earn her M.S. in civil engineering from the University of New... Continue Reading →
September 16, 2000 A new version of the Mark Twain Memorial Bridge, spanning the Mississippi River between Missouri and Illinois, was formally opened to a great deal of fanfare. This through truss bridge connects the Missouri city of Hannibal, which had been the childhood home of renowned writer and humorist Mark Twain (the pen name... Continue Reading →
September 13, 1955 Carl W. Brown, who established himself as prominent highways leader not only within his home state of Missouri but at the national level, died in the city of Fulton in the Show-Me State. He was 68. Brown was born on January 7, 1887, in the city of Vandalia, Missouri. He received his... Continue Reading →
August 25, 1930 Approximately 25,000 people were on hand for the grand opening of the Mid-Hudson Bridge in southeastern New York. This bridge, which measures about 3,000 feet (910 meters) in length, carries traffic over the Hudson River between the city of Poughkeepsie and the hamlet of Highland. This structure was the world’s sixth longest suspension... Continue Reading →
August 16, 1951 At a minute past midnight, the Delaware Memorial Bridge linking Delaware with New Jersey was officially opened to traffic. Motorists had been lined up for up to 20 hours beforehand to travel over the newly built 2,150-foot-long bridge across the Delaware River, and the first person to make that drive (approaching the structure... Continue Reading →
June 11, 1910 In Oregon, a statewide campaign promoting the need for improved roads officially ended in the city of Medford in the southwestern corner of the Beaver State. This campaign, which was sponsored by the state’s good roads advocates, had been launched on May 16 in the city of Ontario in eastern Oregon. One... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 