Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
October 3, 1906 In southwestern England, a road-rail swing bridge crossing the River Avon in Bristol -- a city, ceremonial county, and unitary authority -- first went into service. The Ashton Avenue Bridge was built as a key part of the Bristol Harbour Railway, a longtime transportation link for Bristol’s docks and wharves. Alfred John... Continue Reading →
September 6, 1936 In Oregon, the Yaquina Bay Bridge -- nearly a month before its official dedication ceremony -- was opened to traffic on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend starting at 8:00 a.m. This 3,260-foot (990-meter)-long arch bridge carries U.S. Highway 1 (formally classified as the Oregon Coast Highway) over a section of Yaquina Bay... Continue Reading →
August 28, 1940 In northeast Maryland, a bridge carrying U.S. Route 40 across the Susquehanna River was inaugurated. Originally known as the Susquehanna River Toll Bridge, this 7,624-foot (2,324-meter)-long structure connects the city of Havre de Grace in Harford County with the town of Perryville in Cecil County via Garrett Island in the latter of... Continue Reading →
August 15, 2019 A road tunnel in northwestern Colombia’s department (subdivision) of Antioquia was officially opened to motor vehicle traffic. The Túnel de Oriente serves as a key link between Medellín, which is the capital of Antioquia and Colombia’s second largest city, and José María Córdova International Airport in the city of Rionegro. The public... Continue Reading →
April 6, 1974 In the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW), a dedication ceremony was held for a concrete box girder bridge crossing the Myall River and connecting the towns of Tea Gardens and Hawks Nest. The Tea Gardens-Hawks Nest Bridge was officially opened by Leon Punch (1928-1991), who served as NSW’s minister for... Continue Reading →
February 13, 1901 In the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW), a timber truss bridge crossing Paterson River at the township of Hinton was officially opened. Hinton Bridge was designed by Irish-born Ernest de Burgh (1863-1929), the NSW Public Works Department’s assistant engineer for bridges. This road bridge replaced a steam ferry service in... Continue Reading →
December 30, 2019 The Ryfylke Tunnel in western Norway’s Rogaland county was officially opened to traffic. This tunnel -- encompassing one tube for each direction and two vehicular lanes in each of those tubes -- carries Norwegian National Road 13 under a body of water called Horgefjord (part of the vast fjord known as Boknafjord).... Continue Reading →
December 14, 2006 A bridge in Amman, the capital and largest city of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, made its formal debut. This 1,368-foot (417-meter)-long structure, which is the only cable-stayed bridge in Jordan, crosses Wadi Aboun -- a stream bed with a small artery road running through it -- and serves as a link... Continue Reading →
October 12, 1996 Work was officially completed on a road coursing through a picturesque region of the southeastern United States. The Cherohala Skyway is a 43-mile (69-kilometer) route between the towns of Tellico Plains in Tennessee and Robbinsville in North Carolina. The name for this skyway is a portmanteau of Cherokee and Natahala, referring to... Continue Reading →
September 14, 2010 On southwestern India’s Malabar Coast, the first segment of a road in the seaport city of Kollam in the state of Kerala was formally dedicated. This road in Kollam’s neighborhood of Asramam was developed to help reduce traffic congestion in the nearby section of Chinnakada. One of the busiest parts of Kerala,... Continue Reading →
