Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
A pioneering regional system of numbered routes took shape at a meeting of highway officials from each of the six New England states in April 1922. The meeting was hosted by the Automobile Club of American (ACA) and the others in attendance included representatives from the New England Hotel Men’s Association, and the Automobile Blue... Continue Reading →
In April 1925, the first full-fledged meeting of the Joint Board on Interstate Highways was held at the headquarters of the U.S Bureau of Public Roads (BPR) in Washington, D.C. This two-day meeting took place just a few weeks after the board was formally established to work on developing what ultimately became the U.S. Numbered... Continue Reading →
U.S. Route 1 (US 1) was one of the major north-south routes of the of the newly created United States Numbered Highway System to be officially authorized by the U.S. Bureau of Public Roads (BPR) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on New Year’s Day in 1927. US 1 – also known extensively early... Continue Reading →
July 8, 1916 With momentum continuing to take firm shape across the United States for the Federal Aid Road Act of 1916, International News Service (INS) issued an update on this landmark legislation. “The new bill proposing federal aid to road building has gone to President Wilson for his signature,” reported INS. Along with providing... Continue Reading →
June 22, 1950 The Highway Research Board (the present-day Transportation Research Board) formally announced the imminent launch of a major highway research project in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. This project would specifically take place in the vicinity of La Plata, a Maryland town about 32 miles (51.5 kilometers) southeast of the nation’s capital. The... Continue Reading →
June 9, 1928 A five-span truss bridge crossing a section of the Mississippi River between Missouri and Illinois was inaugurated with considerable fanfare. This vehicular bridge was named after James Beauchamp “Champ” Clark (1850-1921), a U.S. congressman who represented Missouri’s 9th district from 1893 until his death. In addition, Clark served as the 36th speaker... Continue Reading →
December 12, 1914 The American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHO) was formally launched. Highway engineers from various states convened that Saturday morning at the Raleigh Hotel in Washington, D.C., to establish an association for addressing their priorities of mutual concern at the national level. (The now-defunct Raleigh Hotel was located at Pennsylvania Avenue and 12th Street,... Continue Reading →
November 11, 1914 A meeting that would have a big and far-reaching impact on transportation throughout the United States occurred during the Fourth American Road Congress, which had commenced a couple of days earlier in Atlanta. As Motor Age magazine confirmed, Georgia’s capital city during that week was “a vortex of good roads enthusiasm.” There... Continue Reading →
Shailen P. Bhatt was officially sworn in by Pete Buttigieg, U.S. secretary of transportation, on January 13, 2023, to serve as head of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). This inaugural ceremony made Bhatt the 21st administrator of FHWA and the first person of Indian descent to step into that leadership position. The previous month, Bhatt... Continue Reading →
May 2, 1906 Thomas F. Airis, who would become director of the District of Columbia’s Department of Highways and Traffic (a predecessor of the present-day District Department of Transportation) was born in the town of Eau Claire, Wisconsin. He earned his degree in, civil engineering from the University of Wisconsin. In 1929, Airis joined the... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 