Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
January 25, 2009 The pioneering Northern Gateway Toll Road in the Auckland Region of New Zealand’s North Island was opened to traffic. The route, which encompasses 4.4 miles (seven kilometers) between the town of Orewa and the settlement of Puhoi, is a segment of the Auckland Northern Motorway. This motorway, now measuring 24 miles (38... Continue Reading →
September 30, 2008 The Megyeri Bridge in Hungary’s capital city of Budapest was officially opened to vehicular traffic. This 6,109-foot (1,862-meter)-long bridge, which carries the M0 motorway over the River Danube, serves as a link between both of Budapest’s main sections: Buda in the western part of the city; and Pest on the eastern side.... Continue Reading →
August 31, 2011 The Rędziński Bridge, which spans the section of the Oder river in the city of Wrocław in southwestern Poland, was officially opened. This cable-stayed bridge is a part of the A8 motorway, and that 16.7-mile (26.8-kilometer) route was likewise opened to vehicular traffic on the same day. With a total length of... Continue Reading →
September 10, 1962 Construction began on twin tunnels in the city and unitary authority area of Newport in southern Wales. These tunnels were built to carry M4 of the United Kingdom (UK) motorway network under Brynglas Hill in that region of Wales. Sir Owen Williams, the prolific English engineer and architect, was in charge of... Continue Reading →
November 25, 1999 The Süd Autobahn (designated as A2) in the Republic of Austria was officially completed. This motorway runs south from the outskirts of the capital city of Vienna to the market town of Arnoldstein along Austria’s border with Italy. (“Süd Autobahn” means “South Motorway” in German.) Construction on this controlled-access highway began in... Continue Reading →
November 2, 1959 In southern England, the first segment of the freeway designated the M1 motorway made its formal debut. This segment spanned 72 miles (115.9 kilometers), linking the borough of Watford in the outskirts of London with both the market town of Rugby and village of Cricket near Birmingham. The M1 now encompasses 193.5 miles... Continue Reading →
In Australia’s state of Queensland, the M7 Clem Jones Tunnel (CLEM7) in the city of Brisbane first became fully operational at 12:02 a.m. after individual segments of the new structure had been progressively opened to vehicular traffic starting the previous day. The tunnel, which carries the motorway M7 under the Brisbane River and encompasses a... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 