Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
September 8, 1955 After four years of construction, a steel tied-arch bridge in the city of Wheeling in West Virginia’s Northern Panhandle was officially opened. This four-lane bridge crosses a section of the Ohio River between Wheeling Island (within that city’s boundaries) and downtown Wheeling. (This city – the fifth largest in West Virginia –... Continue Reading →
August 2, 1947 About nine years before President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed into law the bill formally establishing the Interstate Highway System, the general locations of the first designated routes for that proposed network were announced. This announcement was made by Major General Philip B. Fleming, administrator of the Federal Works Agency (which included the Public... Continue Reading →
July 15, 1919 The U.S. Army’s Cross-Country Motor Transport Train, just over a week after leaving Washington, D.C., to embark on its pioneering transcontinental journey, was traveling through Ohio and struggling with the aftereffects of heavy rain that threatened to significantly slow down the convoy. The California-bound procession of vehicles had crossed over into Ohio... Continue Reading →
July 8, 1919 [This post is the first in a series of history pieces celebrating 100 years of The U.S. Army’s Cross-Country Motor Transport Train.] The U.S. Army’s Cross-Country Motor Transport Train, making its way from Maryland and into Pennsylvania, completed the first full day of its ambitious and unprecedented journey across the United States.... Continue Reading →
November 20, 1990 The final 14.5-mile (23.3-kilometer) section of Interstate 15 was opened to traffic near the city of Tremonton, Utah. The opening of this link of I-15 created a continuous interstate highway of about 1,430 miles (2,301.4 kilometers) between the community of Sweetgrass, Montana, at the U.S. boundary with Canada and San Diego, California... Continue Reading →
October 19, 1974 A ceremony was held to celebrate the completion of the last segment of Interstate 80 in Nebraska. This ceremony specifically took place five miles (8.05 kilometers) west of the city of Sidney in the Cornhusker State. Approximately 5,000 people showed up for the event. Nebraska Governor (and future U.S. senator) J. James... Continue Reading →
August 22, 1986 In Utah, a milestone in the development of the Interstate Highway System took place with a ceremony commemorating the completion of I-80 near Salt Lake City. This was the final segment of that east-west route to be opened. The formal debut of that 4.5-mile (7.2-kilometer) section also gave I-80 – running an... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 