Historical photos of motorways and roads in your country

[ChrisZwolle]

1. Bronx River Parkway in 1922.


2. Cross Island Parkway, 1930's


3. Interchange Cross Island Parkway, 1930's


4. FDR Drive in 1949.


5. Grand Central Parkway in 1944.


6. GCP again, in 1955.


7. Henry Hudson Parkway in 1940


8. BQE (I-278) in 1960


9. Clearview Expressway (I-295) in 1960


10. Cross Bronx Expressway (I-95) in 1959


11. Gowanus Expressway (I-278) in 1944


12. Cross County Parkway in 1953


13. Garden State Parkway in 1960

[ChrisZwolle]

Originally Posted by RipleyLV

Which country built the first motorway in the world ? Wasn't Italy?

There isn't concensus about. Germany and Italy are often mentioned, but those were substandard. The Netherlands was the first country that included full size emergency lanes (shoulders) on all motorways. Personally, I think the New York Parkways can be seen as the predecessor of the motorway.

[RipleyLV]

Originally Posted by Chriszwolle

There isn't concensus about. Germany and Italy are often mentioned, but those were substandard. The Netherlands was the first country that included full size emergency lanes (shoulders) on all motorways. Personally, I think the New York Parkways can be seen as the predecessor of the motorway.

Thanks Chris for your answer, I'll sleep better now
Cool pics, I like the second one, three level interchange, didn't expect that in the 30's!

[RV]

Some Helsinki roads in 1970-1972:
Lahti motorway interchange with Kehä I/Ring road I

Länsiväylä/Western motorway in Lauttasaari

Sörnäisten rantatie/Sörnäinen coastal highway, main highway towards Lahti, Tuusula and Porvoo

















Sörnäinen CHW (Merihaka, 1982)

Kulosaari bridge (Itäväylä/Eastern motorway, 1970)

Itäväylä/Eastern motorway near Itäkeskus in 1970

Länsiväylä/Western motorway under construction in 1963

Tuusula motorway, 1970´s

Itäväylä/Eastern motorway near Itäkeskus, 1970

Lahti motorway, 1980´s

Lahti motorway, 1985

[CborG]

Some historical photo's of dutch motorways:

A2, near Amsterdam (1972) During the construction of IC Holendrecht and the A9:


A2, near Utrecht (1950-60):


today:




A2, near Culemborg(1935):


same, 1979:


A2, north of Den Bosch (1950-60):




A12, south of Utrecht (1965-70)


A22 near Velsen(1955-60):


A16, van Brienenoordbrug Rotterdam (1979):

[CborG]

Nice set of pics made in 1979, from www.wegenforum.nl:

[Mateusz]

Great pictures ! Roads in Netherlands looked great at those times

[CborG]

30 years later:

[LtBk]

I want to see old pictures of our Interstates.

[Patrick]

A29 near Oldenburg, Germany, during a NATO practise in 1984

[RipleyLV]

^ Ain't that hippy car, I mean, Volkswagen camper van?

[Patrick]

yeah

more pics from http://www.geocities.com/marcelmonterie_d/index.htm around 1990

[ChrisZwolle]

Marcel has tons of pics from the former DDR. Very interesting.

[Mateusz]

Nice I always wanted to see DDR autobahn pictures, I wish to see picture of Polish E22 (today A4)

[PLH]

S22 Elbląg - Kaliningrad

1938, 1957, 2000, 2008

[ultra laverdi]

^ it should be 4 lines road.

[PLH]

Yes, but only when Kaliningrad were Königsberg.

But now the whole traffic are trucks and few cars.

[mgk920]

Originally Posted by PLH

Yes, but only when Kaliningrad were Königsberg.

But now the whole traffic are trucks and few cars.

How much is traffic expected to increase once that border checkpoint opens?

Mike

[ChrisZwolle]

Dutch "autosnelwegen";

A59 Waalwijk-Oost


A59 circa 1975


A59 U/C in 1961


Traffic has been busy for a long time:


Electronic sign on the S116 in Amsterdam, circa 1969.


A2 near Utrecht a long time ago:


A2 near Zaltbommel circa 1960
[img]http://img380.imageshack.us/img380/1295/sab001100235lw5.jpg

Afsluitdijk before the motorway A7 was constructed:


suicide lanes also existed in the Netherlands! (1965)

[Verso]

Interesting pics, incredible amount of traffic.