707 go travel

AIR & SPACE MAGAZINE

The flight that changed everything.

When the 707 gave us the world.

Christine Negroni

America’s youngest jet-setter was seven years old when he boarded a Pan American World Airways Boeing 707 in New York, headed to Paris. It was October 26, 1958 and along with his parents and two older sisters, Loren Hopkins was on an all-expenses-paid, two-week tour of European capitals. His mother won the trip after entering a contest printed on the back of a Kellogg’s cereal box.

“She always had a desire to see other places,” said Hopkins, now 68 and a farmer in Kinsman, Ohio, of his mother, Vera. But she’d married a farmer, and their livelihood did not promise a life of travel. “For my mother to fly on a jet plane was the adventure of a lifetime,” Hopkins said.

A U.S. Army band serenaded the flight’s 111 passengers that night in 1958 as they approached the air stairs leading to the jetliner at Idlewild Airport. Among them was a genuine celebrity, the actress Greer Garson, who’d won an Academy Award for her performance in Mrs. Miniver 16 years earlier. (On its return flight from Paris, that 707 would carry Frank Sinatra and Danny Kaye.)

“We walked to the airplane on a red carpet with flags on both sides,” Hopkins recalled of the rainy night. Floodlights accentuated the white aluminum airplane’s size: 140 feet long with a 130-foot wingspan. Its four Pratt & Whitney JT3C-6 turbojet engines were sleek in polished metal nacelles suspended below and forward of the wings, rakishly angled 35 degrees off of the fuselage.

An enormous blue globe was painted on the tail of the airplane named Clipper America just for the flight. This was a new logo designed specifically for the mid-century modern age the airline was ushering in with its jetliner, an emblem that promised travelers the world.

And though the 707’s impact on the world was as yet unwritten, Loren Hopkins had an inkling that things were about to change.

“Going on that trip when I was so young made me think, ‘Why not go wherever you want to go?’ ” he said.

“Suddenly the public was able to travel nearly two times as fast,” said Kelly Cusack, director of collections and curation at the Pan Am Museum Foundation in New York. “I don’t know if [Pan Am founder] Juan Trippe imagined the effects of all of this, but when the world is smaller and everything seems closer, we perceive the world differently.”

I spoke to Cusack last fall, two days after the foundation opened its permanent 707 exhibit at the Cradle of Aviation Museum in Garden City, Long Island, with a celebratory gala. The Saturday-night affair had a golden-age-of-aviation feel about it. Attendees not in cocktail attire were dressed in vintage Pan Am uniforms, the women in crisp blue stewardess suits and the retired pilots in white caps, navy blue blazers, and plenty of gold braid.

One guest not in uniform was Frank Abagnale, a 70-year-old businessman infamous for his brief but lucrative juvenile career passing himself off as a Pan Am pilot in the mid-’60s. Leonardo DiCaprio played the swaggering young impostor in the 2002 movie Catch Me If You Can.

The theme of the evening was Paris, the inaugural flight’s destination. An accordionist played during the cocktail hour, and cancan dancers performed during dessert. Though many former Pan Am staff were present, Loren Hopkins was the only person at the party who had experienced that slice of the airline’s history first-hand.

“When you took off, you could feel yourself going back into the seat,” Hopkins said.

Even the seasoned air travelers of the cabin crew were surprised by the 707’s power. Jay Koren, who would eventually publish a memoir about his 40 years of service with Pan Am, was called in to work the flight at the last minute when the airline decided to add a seventh flight attendant to the crew. He was 26 at the time. Koren, who died last year, recalled that first takeoff in an article he wrote for the book Pan American World Airways: Aviation History Through the Words of its People: “Even more startling was the unexpected vibration and violent roar of the jet engines as we gathered speed for our leap up into the night.” Sitting in the back of the aircraft in the jump seats with two stewardesses, he wrote, “We grasped hands and stared wide-eyed at one another in disbelief.” Koren would also be aboard the inaugural Pan Am 747 flight in 1970.

The luxuries aboard that 1958 flight—wines poured into stemware, hot meals served on china and set on linen-covered tables—likely went unappreciated by the seven-year-old Hopkins. But Boeing mechanic Steve Eastman and his wife Hazel were “googly-eyed,” according to their son, Hal, an executive-turned-fine-art-photographer in Washington.

Eastman, who died in 2007 at the age of 96, was an hourly worker in the ’50s, assigned to fabricate one-of-a-kind parts for prototypes, including some for the space program’s lunar lander and many for the Dash 80, the precursor to the 707. On July 15, 1954, after hearing the jet engines revving during a taxi run at Boeing’s Renton airfield near their home, the entire Eastman family jumped in the car and raced to see what was going on.

“It came roaring down the runway, and everybody cheered,” Hal remembered. His dad “was so proud. He was ecstatic. He drove us to where it was going to land, and we watched it make a perfect landing.”

The following day, Steve Eastman learned that Pan Am would be the first operator of the 707. He immediately booked two economy seats on the inaugural flight. He saved from his modest salary to pay for the trip he and Hazel would take four years later.

Boeing was well behind airplane makers in the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union, who were already operating passenger jets. England’s de Havilland DH 106 Comet first flew in 1952 but was soon beset with structural problems that caused three of them to crash over a period of two years.

Russia’s Tupolev Tu-104 Camel had seating for 50 passengers, and when the Comets were grounded, it became the world’s only commercial jetliner between 1956 and 1958. But the Tu-104 lacked both capacity and range, according to Bob van der Linden, curator of air transportation at the National Air and Space Museum. He pointed out that Boeing’s third-place position allowed it to absorb the lessons of its competitors’ mistakes.

Inspired by the work of Germany’s Adolph Busemann, for example, the 707’s designers swept its wing farther back than the de Havilland team swept the Comet’s. De Havilland also embedded the Comet’s four engines in the wing, creating drag. Boeing had a more unconventional idea, which it first tested in its Dash 80 prototype and incorporated into the 707: It slung the engine pods beneath the wing. By doing this, the pylons guided the airflow over the wing on a straight path. On other swept-wing aircraft, the air would roll outward towards the wingtips. This could cause portions of the wing to stall and the airplane to roll. The Dash 80 and the 707 that followed did not have this problem because of the novel placement of the engines.

The 707’s first engine, the Pratt & Whitney JT3C was the commercial version of the military J57, which had won the 1952 Collier Trophy. The JT3C shared the axial compressor design of the Comet’s Avon jet engine but with a substantial upgrade: Two compressors—one low pressure and one high—fed air to the combustor and then to two turbines; again, one low pressure and one high. “The low-pressure spool is spinning slower as it builds the initial pressure up,” explained Mark Sullivan, author of Dependable Engines: The Story of Pratt & Whitney. “Then it goes to the high-pressure spool and is compressed yet again.” The remarkable two-spool engine produced 11,000 pounds of thrust, compared with the Avon, which produced 10,250 pounds.

Boeing was hard at work on the Dash 80 prototype that would soon become the KC-135 military tanker and the civilian 707, while across the Atlantic, de Havilland was struggling to fix the Comet’s problems and its reputation. When the improved Comet 4 was ready to fly late in 1958, with twenty-percent fewer seats than the 707, it was already an also-ran.

The legacy of the 707 and Pan Am’s influence on its passenger cabin live on even today in most single-aisle jetliners. Originally the cabin width of the Dash 80 would accommodate five seats, two on one side of the aisle and three on the other. First, the U.S. Air Force made Boeing widen the Dash 80 by 12 inches for the KC-135 tanker. But that still wasn’t wide enough for Pan Am.

“Juan Trippe reminded Boeing that Pan Am had just placed an order for 25 new DC-8s from Douglas that were six across,” van der Linden said. Boeing’s response was to widen its own airplane by four inches and add a seat.

If passengers felt the squeeze of the extra seat, they may have felt comforted by knowing they’d be in their seats for a shorter time. The 707 airspeed was nearly 600 miles per hour, roughly 200 mph faster than the Stratocruiser and DC-7 piston-powered airplanes it would replace, cutting New York-to-Paris flight times down from about nine hours to just a little over six. And of course there was the novelty of jet flight. For the seven-year-old Loren Hopkins flying across the Atlantic, the tipping point from thrilling to ho-hum came when he asked his mother why the airplane was moving so slowly. A stewardess overheard him and reported this comment to the captain, who came out into the aisle and invited the boy into the cockpit.

“That was the highlight of the trip,” Hopkins said. He was given a set of wings to put on his suit and a captain’s hat. “It was a size that fit my head.”

The Pan Am Foundation’s Cusack, an 11-year Pan Am employee and an inveterate collector of the airline’s memorabilia, was nevertheless surprised as he assembled the display at how expansive the airline’s story was. As Pan Am’s 707s began turning up in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and South America with their recognizable white and blue livery, they became the preferred mode of transportation for foreign dignitaries as well as for Americans on international business. The U.S. Air Force also bought three 707s, assigning one of them to the service of President Dwight Eisenhower.

The first Pan Am 707, tail number N711PA, left the fleet in 1974, and many airplane spotters believe it to have been destroyed. But among the attendees at the gala were two businessmen who have a 42-foot section of the next best thing: the Boeing 707, which in 1983 flew a special reenactment of the first Pan Am transatlantic flight.

Ward Wallau and Milan Micich operate Tokens & Icons, a company that turns pieces of sentimental artifacts like Major League Baseball bats and New York subway tokens into bottle openers and cuff links. When Micich tracked down an intact section of the Pan Am Clipper Emerald Isle at an airplane boneyard in Arizona in 2008, the men originally asked to purchase just two of the giant letters spelling out “Pan American” with the intention of cutting them up into several hundred sets of cuff links. But the historic nature of their find prompted them to reconsider. While they did sell dozens of the airliner’s windows as wall art (at $1,000 each) and many $180 cuff link sets made from the aluminum, they kept the “Pan American” script intact on a big chunk of the fuselage. It now hangs on the wall of their office in Berkeley, California. They’d attended the gala to try to determine whether the museum might be a more appropriate home for their treasure.

The Cradle of Aviation Museum exhibition demonstrates how Pan Am’s 707s reshaped the world beyond anyone’s expectations. It affected economies and trade, politics and culture, fashion and society. A section titled “Jet Age Woman” points out how Pan Am’s requirement that flight attendants be college-educated and (at minimum) bilingual helped move women toward greater social and financial independence. (Pan Am also held them to strict rules governing their appearance and behavior in ways that would never fly today, of course, but the arrival of a generation of women who traveled the world and earned decent salaries remains notable.)

The air cargo display, meanwhile, shows how the advent of the 707 altered global eating habits. Jet freighters could move perishable goods so that agricultural products were no longer geographically isolated. “Who ate Chilean sea bass in the ’60s?” Cusack asks. “All those kinds of things came as a result of the jet age.”

Those kinds of disrupters were still in the future when Steve and Hazel Eastman boarded the 707 for their first jet flight in 1958. For a mechanic and a housewife, the opulence seemed overwhelming, their son Hal said. But it was people just like them who would most feel the effects of the revolution.

Commercial jet travel would very quickly become commonplace. The expansion in air travel during the prior few decades became an explosion, from 87.2 million passengers in 1957 to 4.34 billion in 2018, according to data provided by the International Air Transport Association.

The Hopkinses and the Eastmans felt history change that day in 1958. But it didn’t take long before the rest of us felt it too.

Subscribe to Air & Space Magazine Now

This story is a selection from the February/March issue of Air & Space magazine

Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.

Christine Negroni | READ MORE

Christine Negroni is a freelance aviation and travel writer whose work appears in The New York Times , on ABC News and in other publications. She writes the popular blog, Flying Lessons . Her book latest book, The Crash Detectives , published by Penguin, is about Malaysia 370 and other aviation mysteries.

Regional Package

Singapore 

Land Tour / One Day Tour

All About Malacca

All About Resort World Genting

All About Singapore

All About Kuala Lumpur

All About Ipoh

30 years ago: How a jet flown by King Charles overran a Scottish runway in 1994 

Developers raise $2.55 billion in bond placement for JFK Airport’s New Terminal One  

Emirates Airbus A380 dons Wimbledon-inspired livery in official new partnership 

Emirates unveils ‘Exclusive Eight’ champagne collection, extends ties with LVMH

• ZeroAvia hydrogen-powered aircraft
• zero-emissions
• Zero emission
• Yeti Airlines
• Aviation History
• Aviation Safety

The Boeing 707 – the first jetliner that changed how we travel today

If it ain’t Boeing – I ain’t going: the iconic Boeing 707 story

If it ain’t Boeing – I ain’t going is quite a bold statement. However, consider the context at the time. This was the beginning of the jet age – with the de Havilland Comet becoming a synonym for “mid-air explosion”, the Boeing 707 came at the right time.

McDonnell Douglas and SUD were lagging behind and introduced their DC-8 and Caravelle jet aircraft a year later than the 707. The Tupolev Tu-104 was behind the iron curtain. Because of this, it had no chance to impact anything culturally outside the Soviet sphere of influence.

Thus, this allowed the Boeing 707 to become an icon and symbol of a new and revolutionary way of travel.

Culturally, October 17 th , 1958 was the day that the jet age began in the minds of everyone. Or maybe restarted?

Anyhow, let’s roll back a bit and conceptualize what are the reasons why the 707 become such an icon.

A first Boeing with a jet engine

The first reason was that the Boeing 707 was a jetliner. At the time, the only commercial jets were flying behind the Iron Curtain. The de Havilland Comet was grounded after a series of crashes. That is why, when Boeing 707 introduced a reliable and safe jet-powered aircraft, it certainly did change the way we travel.

As I have previously already talked about the jet engines and the reasons why they will definitely replace piston jets in the Tupolev Tu-104 story, I won’t go too much into detail. To summarize, there were three reasons:

• Piston-powered engines were coming to their maximum as to how much power they can produce. To squeeze more, engineers made them more complex and that is the reason why maintenance costs shot up. Fuel consumption to engine power ratio was not ideal either;
• Passenger comfort. Piston engines are loud, they vibrate a lot (especially on a plane like the Constellation with 4 piston engines) and generally make passengers uncomfortable. With the price tag at the time for a ticket, they certainly did not provide a luxurious experience;
• The demand for trans-Atlantic flights has risen significantly. While Piston props could theoretically do trans-Atlantic flights, they usually had to stop to refuel. Their cruising speed was slow, so the flights took much longer than with jet engines.

Laying down the foundations

One of the most important facts to know is that Boeing risked everything with the new 707. It was literally a make it or break it situation. The current Boeing company president at the time, William Allen, committed $16 million to develop 367-80. The money was everything that the company had earned after the war. So, if the 367 was a bust – the company would go bust as well.

Subsequently, the public nicknamed it the “Dash 80“. The 367 was an early Boeing 707 and Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker prototype.

Boeing’s strategy was simple – change the general perception that jet aircraft were unsafe. So, they developed and built the 367-80 to go on a tour around the United States (US) to prove to the public and CEOs of Airlines alike that a jet-powered aircraft can be safe while showcasing a flying example.

You got to hand it to Boeing – if the aircraft were to fail during these demonstration flights, the company was gone. However, they did a brilliant job of designing and building it and it encountered no issues after preliminary taxi and flight tests. After engineers completed the early designs in 1952, Boeing decision-makers approved it. Just two years later, in July of 1954, the 367-80 commenced its first flight.

Boeing, like all others, had an advantage – they knew the structural problems of the de Havilland Comet. Nevertheless, you mustn’t forget that Boeing also built military aircraft. Like the Russians with the Tu-104, Boeing also used their experience from the B-47 Stratojet to build the new 367-80.

Do a barrel roll and make 707 a jetstar

August 6 th , 1955 was a huge day for Boeing. In Seafair, an event held in Seattle, William Allen invited AIA and IATA members to show them the new jet.

This was crucial for the future success of the 707. If those 2 associations approve it, then there was nothing to stop the new Boeing jet from entering commercial service. As the company already secured orders for the KC 135 Stratotankers, it was crucial to do so for the 707 as well.

And one man made sure that the members of AIA and IATA would approve it. While doing a casual fly over, test pilot Alvin Johnston performed two barrel rolls. It might not have been the smartest decision to do so, the pilot later said he was just “selling airplanes”.  While you cannot certainly say that the barrel roll sold the aircraft to customers, but it definitely made an impact.

Cultural impact

While the Comet was the first commercial jet that started service, people wanted to forget about it. As quickly as possible. So when Boeing, a well-known manufacturer in the US, kicked the door open with it‘s 707, it instantly became a hit. Not only commercially for Boeing, but notably, it became an American cultural icon.

Even so much so, that Frank Sinatra bought his own 707. His “Come Fly With Me” album cover showed an aircraft, albeit a Lockheed Constellation. However, whenever someone heard the “Come Fly With Me” song, they imagined a Boeing 707 in front of their eyes. What is even crazier, that Jantzen, a swimwear company, used the Boeing 707 to advertise their newest swimwear collection in 1957.

Pan American Airways released a short-movie about the new jet and called it “The Wonderful Jet World of Pan-American.”

Boeing 707 – a commercial success

It became a cultural icon for a good reason – airlines also loved it. In total, Boeing built 856 Seven O’ Seven jets. Airlines bought 725, while Air Force units used the rest of the 707s.

Pan American Airways introduced the Boeing 707 on October 17 th , 1958. Pan Am held a christening event, which the current president of the US, Dwight Eisenhower, attended.  A special inaugural flight from Baltimore to Paris followed. Friends of Juan Trippe, the founder of Pan Am, occupied the seats onboard the flight. 9 days later, on October 26 th , Pan Am started passenger operations from New York to Paris, with a fuel stop in Newfoundland.

The jet was not popular only inside the American market. Qantas started flying the 707 in 1959 and was the first international airline to do so. Many more followed Qantas and bought their first jets. El Al , BOAC, Singapore Airlines , Air France , Aer Lingus and Lufthansa were amongst the long list of 707 customers.

As I mentioned above, the Air Force used the 707s in various military specifications. Even today, 61 years after its launch, the Boeing 707 military units use it as a transport or a reconnaissance aircraft.

Regarding its safety record, aviation experts regard the 707 as a safe aircraft. Although accidents destroyed 173 Boeing 707 aircraft completely, pilots never complained about the difficulty of flying the jet. Nor it had any major structural issues like the de Havilland Comet did.

Too good for its own good

As public confidence grew, so did the passenger numbers for airlines operating the 707. Airlines could not keep up with the demand and Boeing had to come up with new variants to satisfy their customer needs. Qantas received a long-range model, while Braniff International got special 707s to fly in the high altitudes of South America.

As a result of trying to satisfy everyone’s needs, Boeing did not make a lot of profit off of the 707. Although it was commercially successful amongst airlines, the constant modifications made the program costly. However, the 707 laid the foundations for the further success of the company. As I said that airlines could not cope with the demand, the 707 eventually developed into the Queen of the Skies . So, while indirectly, the 707 still brought a profit to Boeing when the aircraft convinced airlines that Boeing built great jets.

And the Boeing 707 was good. In fact so good, that John Travolta even bought one. Qantas previously used the airline for regular service, when John Travolta purchased it. He then donated it to Historical Aircraft Restoration Society in Australia.

Furthermore, numerous countries still use the 707s in their Air Force, while the last commercial 707 crashed just two weeks ago.

To sum up, what the 707 did for aviation would be difficult and would require me a lot of additional words. But in an effort to keep it as short as possible, I will say this – the 707 was a huge risk that paid off for Boeing. And not only it did push the company forward, but it also pushed every other aircraft manufacturer forward to innovate, strive for greatness and be daring. The Boeing 707 brought revived the dream of jet aviation.

• de Havilland Comet
• KC-135 Stratotanker
• McDonnell Douglas

Sign Up for Our Newsletters

Related posts.

Boeing exec blamed paperwork for door plug blowout in briefing that irked NTSB

Airbus releases its first original free-to-view docuseries, A330neo evolution

Boeing restarts 777 and 787 deliveries to China, 737 MAX set to resume soon

AeroTime is on YouTube

Subscribe to the AeroTime Hub channel for exclusive video content.

• Aircraft Technical Data & Specifications

Popular Searches On Airliners.net

Top photos last 24 hours.

Keep In Touch With A.net

Forums Right Now

Photo albums featured.

Photog's Choice Winner

Airliners.net

Top 100 Photos All Time

Top Photographers All Time

Top Photographers 24 Hours

Travel To Malaysia

Bus to Malaysia: Seamless Travel, Comfort, and Convenience

707 Genting Promotion Package 2024

707 Genting Promotion Package 2024. Genting Member Package 2024

• From $78 twin sharing room.
• $98 twin sharing room.
• $138 twin sharing room.

707 Bus to Genting Package Pick-up Time:

• Chinese: 牛车水珍珠大厦 168咖啡店
• Chinese: 万山街 / 奎因街 170巴士总站
• Chinese: 文礼购物中心
• Chinese: 裕廊东 云顶酒店路旁
• Chinese: 高文巴士转换站

Genting Package Includes:

• Two-way coach from Singapore to Genting .
• 2-night stay at Genting First World Hotel.

Exclusions:

• Travel insurance.

Please note that the prices and times are subject to change, and it’s advisable to check for the latest rates and availability. Enjoy your trip to Genting!

4 days 3 night 707 Genting Promotion Package 2024

707 Contact Number :

707 Office (Singapore HQ):   Address: 101, Upper Cross Street, #B1-20, People’s Park Centre, Singapore 058357 Operating Hours:  10:00 AM – 7:00 PM (Daily)  Phone:  +65 8710 7707

707  HarbourFront Centre  :   Address: 1 Maritime Square #03-42, Singapore 099253 Operating Hours:  10:00 AM – 7:00 PM (Daily)  Phone:  +65 8710 7707

Queen Street SBS 170 Bus Terminal Counter (Singapore Counter):   Address: Ban San Street (Queen St. SBS 170 Bus Terminal), Singapore 884001 Operating Hours:  7:00 AM – 7:00 PM (Daily)  Phone:  +65 8710 7707

Welcome to “A Minion’s Perspective” at Pavilion Hall, Resorts World Genting! Get ready to embark on a journey into the whimsical world of Illumination’s Despicable Me and Minions. Here’s everything you need to know about this exciting exhibition:

Event Details:

• Location:  Pavilion Hall,  Resorts World Genting,  Lot No. T2-M15 Level T2, Sky Avenue Genting Highland Resort, 69000
• Infant Entry:  Free (Below 3 Yrs)
• Valid Dates:  5/12/2023 till 10/03/2024

A Minion’s Perspective Genting 2024

Related Posts

WTS Travel Genting Promotion Package 2024

Resorts World Awana CNY Package 2024

'Shop It Like It's Hot': 10 on-the-go gadgets for summer travel

Big summer travel plans?

We're rounding up gadgets you can take on the go to make summer traveling easier.

Related Articles

'As seen on social': 5 viral products to kick off summer

For example, shop compression packing cubes to help organize your outfits, a foldable wireless charger that powers three devices at once and a portable espresso machine so you're never without your caffeine fix.

Check out all of this and more, below.

By clicking on these shopping links, visitors will leave Goodmorningamerica.com. These e-commerce sites are operated under different terms and privacy policies than Goodmorningamerica.com. ABC will receive a commission for purchases made through these links. Influencers may receive a commission or have business relationships with a recommended brand. SOME PRICES ARE DYNAMIC AND MAY CHANGE FROM THE DATE OF PUBLICATION. Have questions about ordering or a purchase? Click here .

Compression Packing Cubes for Travel

Twelve South AirFly SE Bluetooth Wireless Audio Transmitter Receiver for AirPods or Wireless Headphones

The Foldable Wireless Travel Charger

• Hammacher Schlemmer

Baby Shusher - The Original Shhh Calming Sound Machine for Baby

WACACO Minipresso NS, Portable Espresso Machine

So Smooth Hair Dryer

Rocketbook Core Reusable Smart Notebook

AMACOOL Neck Fan Battery Operated Neckband

LARQ Bottle PureVis 17 oz - Self-Cleaning and Insulated Stainless Steel Water Bottle

AirTag Wallet Passport Travel Package with Cover Holder Case and Luggage Keychain Tag Accessory with Vaccine Card Protector for Men and Women (Black)

Up next in shop—.

Shop the books seen on 'GMA' for your next read

GMA Deals & Steals on summer solutions

Elevate your backyard barbecue with these chic and affordable items

Amazon Prime Day 2024: What to know and deals to shop right now

Shop editors picks, sponsored content by taboola.

• Privacy Policy — 
• Your US State Privacy Rights — 
• Children's Online Privacy Policy — 
• Interest-Based Ads — 
• Terms of Use — 
• Do Not Sell My Info — 
• Contact Us — 

© 2024 ABC News

Plan your travel for Pokémon GO Fest 2024: New York City

We’re excited to welcome you soon to Pokémon GO Fest 2024: New York City! To help you best prepare for your day of Pokémon GO, here are some of the best ways to get around the city.

Pokémon GO Fest is accessible by public transportation, pedestrian bridges, and third-party operated dedicated ferries. There is neither parking for personal vehicles nor designated rideshare drop-off or pick-up locations on Randall’s Island.

New York Ferry

Take the ferry to Randall’s Island! Ferries will depart from and return to the East 35th Street Ferry Landing located at the intersection of East 35th Street and FDR Drive. They will travel to and from Randall’s Island all weekend long, running from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. daily. Tickets are first-come, first-served, and must be purchased prior to boarding.

Click here to learn more and purchase ferry tickets.

X80 Express Bus The X80 bus route only operates during special events on Randall’s Island. It stops at 125th Street and Lexington Avenue (immediately outside the 125th Street and Lexington Avenue subway station for the 4/5/6 trains). The route runs approximately every 10 minutes during event hours, with service beginning at 8:00 a.m. and concluding at 8:00 p.m. It costs $7 to take to the island but is FREE leaving the island. There are two stops on Randall’s Island: Randall’s Island North on Bronx Shore Drive near the North Festival Entrance and Randall’s Island South at Icahn Stadium near the soccer field. The north bus stop is new for 2024. The north stop is recommended for anyone who is ready to leave Randall’s Island.

Step One: Take the 4, 5, or 6 subway train to the 125th Street/Lexington Avenue station; $5.80 roundtrip ($1.00 new-card fee not included).

Step Two: Take the X80 Express Bus from the 125th Street/Lexington Avenue station to Randall’s Island Park; $7.00 roundtrip ($4.10 if coming from subway using MetroCard or OMNY Contactless option).

M35 Local Bus The M35 route buses are a standard MTA service that takes passengers from Harlem E 125th St. / Lexington Ave with a stop at Icahn Stadium near the soccer field. Unlike the X80, this bus route isn’t an express service and will make several stops.

Click here to see the route schedule.

There are dedicated rideshare drop-off and pick-up areas with access to pedestrian bridges and public transportation to Randall’s Island at the following locations in Manhattan:

*East 125th and Lexington (closest to the X80 and MTA Bus Stop to Randall’s Island) *East 124th before the entrance to the RFK Bridge pedestrian walkway *East 105th ahead of entrance to the Wards Island Bridge pedestrian walkway *East 102nd ahead of entrance to the Wards Island Bridge pedestrian walkway

From Manhattan *East 103rd St. (approximately 20–25 minutes) A walkway along Wards Island Bridge on East 103rd St. in Manhattan onto Wards Island Park. The ramp on this walkway is ADA accessible.

*East 125th St. Bridge (approximately 10–12 minutes) A walkway along the RFK Bridge between 125th Street and 2nd Avenue onto the northwestern section of Randall’s Island Park. The ramp on this walkway is ADA accessible.

From the Bronx East 132nd St. & Willow Ave (approximately 15 minutes) The Randall’s Island Connector provides at-grade access to pedestrians and cyclists. It runs under the arches of the Hell Gate Bridge railroad trestle between 132nd Street at Willow/Walnut Avenues in the Bronx onto the northern shore of Randall’s Island Park.

For answers to additional event and transportation questions, check out the event FAQs here .

Please be aware of your surroundings and follow guidelines from local health authorities when playing Pokémon GO. Upcoming events are subject to change. Be sure to follow us on social media, opt in to receiving push notifications, and subscribe to our emails to stay updated.

—The Pokémon GO team

New travel deals for Amazon Prime members on cruises, rental cars, flights and more

These savings on travel come in time for any last-minute summer vacations.

Amazon Prime Day is fast approaching, and beyond viral beauty products or hot new kitchenware, the e-commerce giant is introducing savings on travel just in time for any last-minute summer vacations.

Amazon partnered with various travel companies, including Southwest Airlines, Viator, Turo, Carnival, and others, to give Prime members early access to price cuts on travel packages, car rentals, and cruises.

In a similar move last summer fellow retail competitor Walmart partnered with Expedia to give Walmart+ members the ability to earn Walmart Cash by booking vacations.

"These travel deals are sort of an extra that they can offer their members," RetailMeNot editor Kristin McGrath told ABC News. "There are plenty of ways you can save and get discounts. These membership programs can just make it a little bit easier."

Amazon Prime travel deals and discounts for Prime Day

Save 10% on Viator travel experiences Save up to 30% off Avis car rentals and earn 10% back Up to 15% Sixt car rentals Book a Carnival Cruise for to 40% off Southwest Airlines get 50% off Rapids Rewards points

Editor’s Picks

Delta One Lounge debuts this week, here's a look at the premium experience

How gift cards from big box retailers could help save on expensive travel

It's not too late to book summer travel, these tips make it easier

Walmart+ travel deals.

The company offers discounts on fuel and travel, plus up to 20% back in Walmart Cash for booking through their portal during Walmart+ week.

Costco travel discounts and deals

The warehouse retailer's travel arm offers everyday savings on top-quality, brand-name vacations, hotels, cruises, and rental cars, exclusively for Costco members.

Teresita Nino has used Costco to book vacation packages and told ABC News how she saved on international deals.

"My last trip that we booked was to Saint Lucia and we ended up booking the airfare and the hotel -- I ended up saving about $700," Nino said of her experience using Costco. "Nine out of ten times is Costco Travel is always giving me a better deal overall than other travel companies."

Access to Costco's travel deals require a paid membership as an extra perk for customers.

"The travel savings are the cherry on top -- but it's not necessarily the most lucrative benefit," McGrath said. "In these membership programs, you have to take the value of membership as a whole rather than just joining to save on travel."

Trending Reader Picks

Amazon Prime Day 2024 is July 16-17

• Jun 28, 5:19 PM

Amazon Prime Day 2024 to take place July 16-17

• Jun 28, 5:25 PM

How to save on food this Fourth of July

• Jun 26, 9:47 AM

The Home Depot's Red, White and Blue Sale is on

• Jun 28, 1:28 PM

Florida arts groups left in the lurch by DeSantis veto of state funding for theaters and museums

• Jun 29, 12:04 AM

ABC News Live

24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events

Taiwan warns against travel to China after execution threat

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwan ’s government raised its travel warning for China on Thursday, telling its citizens not to go unless absolutely necessary, following a threat from Beijing last week to execute those deemed “diehard” Taiwan independence supporters.

Liang Wen-chieh, spokesperson for Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council, told reporters the raised travel warning also applied to the Chinese-run cities of Hong Kong and Macau.

China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory , has made no secret of its dislike of President Lai Ching-te , whom it views as a “separatist,” and staged two days of war games  after he took office last month.

Last week, announcing new legal guidelines, China threatened to execute Taiwan independence separatists in extreme cases, a further ramping up of tensions that drew condemnation from Lai and his government, as well as the United States.

Liang, making the announcement at a regular news conference in Taipei, said those guidelines represented a serious threat to the safety of Taiwanese visiting China, in addition to other measures China has been taking to strengthen its national security laws.

“If it is not necessary to go, then don’t,” he said, adding this did not amount to a ban on visiting and was about protecting Taiwan’s people and reminding them of the risk rather than being a “countermeasure.”

China’s Taiwan Affairs Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

On Wednesday, asked about concerns that the guidelines could cause fear for Taiwan’s people and not help improve relations, the office said they were only aimed at a very small number of independence “diehards’ evil words and actions.”

China has vowed to go after people it views as Taiwan separatists wherever they may be, though Chinese courts have no jurisdiction in Taiwan and it is not clear how China could seek to enforce any judgments outside its borders.

As to whether China could seek to extradite Taiwanese overseas who it accused of separatism, Liang said separatism was a political crime and in this particular case one specific to China, and that developed countries would not cooperate with such a request.

“We can’t rule out certain countries would cooperate,” he added, without naming any countries.

Lai has repeatedly offered talks with China but been rebuffed. He rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims and says only Taiwan’s people can decide their future.

• Search Please fill out this field.
• Manage Your Subscription
• Give a Gift Subscription
• Newsletters
• Sweepstakes
• Destinations

This Gorgeous Region in Greece Is Where the Greeks Go on Vacation — With Magical Blue Water, Friendly Villages, and Local Food

Take the ultimate road trip unveiling Greece’s best kept secrets.

Thessaloniki

Sithonia peninsula, mount athos.

Sucheta Rawal/Travel + Leisure

If you feel outpriced for a vacation in the Greek Islands, you're not entirely out of luck — there’s a lesser-known alternative to experiencing the same magical blue waters, friendly village vibe, and fresh Greek food.

Greek-Macedonia, the country's northern region, offers a broader variety of experiences for history buffs, beach lovers, and road-trippers, and still has an ancient history that compares to Athens, dramatic coastlines similar to the Greek Isles, some of the most extensive spans of green olive groves in the world, and the country’s most spiritual sites — all within a few miles from each other.

Northern Greece is also easier and more affordable to navigate independently than elsewhere in the country. Rent a car or hop on a public bus; stay at a beachfront bungalow, a village guesthouse, or camp at a beach or inside a forested national park.

With milder climates, fewer crowds, and great prices (including many free attractions), it is no surprise that this is where the Greeks themselves prefer to go for their summer breaks and long weekends.

Top 5 Can’t Miss

• Grab a drink, listen to live music, enjoy the nightlife, and people-watch in the vibrant Ladadika district of Thessaloniki.
• Visit King Phillip II’s gleaming royal tomb, complete with delicate artifacts, discovered in the lost city of Aigai after 2,000 years.
• Take a day cruise to the Athos Peninsula and admire the remote architecture of 1,000-year-old monasteries. The autonomous region is considered the spiritual center of Orthodox Greeks and is not easily accessible to travelers.  
• Book a dinner at Hierion Restaurant at Athena Pallas Resort. You will feel like a Byzantine emperor as you taste a medieval menu with Mt. Athos paired wines inside a space replicating a portico of a Byzantine monastery. 
• Take a scenic drive from the mountain town of Litochoro through winding roads overlooking the sea and mountains into Mt. Olympus National Park.

Sucheta Rawal/Travel + Leisure

Start your trip in Thessaloniki — Greece’s second largest city and trade junction, with a major airport and seaport along the Thermaic Gulf of the Aegean Sea. Named a UNESCO City of Gastronomy, Thessaloniki is where some of Greece’s best chefs experiment with traditional flavors and modern cooking techniques. Locals, known as Hellenes, will tell you this is where the Greek coffee culture originated. A common sight is friends and families lingering for hours at al fresco coffee shops, discussing everything from world affairs to office gossip over cigarettes and bitter coffee.

Visitors often overlook the modern European economic hub, but it offers many historical sites, quality restaurants, bustling nightlife, and plenty of shopping at a fraction of the prices compared to other well-known parts of Greece. The city’s extensive makeup of working professionals and university students provides a nonstop street party atmosphere. It is common to find otherwise quiet neighborhood streets and abandoned buildings transformed into temporary live music venues (without the high-priced cover charges) thumping beats until after midnight. Stay away from the crowds at the artfully-decorated Elisabeth Boutique Hotel , located in a historic building.

It's easy to explore the 2,300-year-old city on foot, uncovering layers of Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman history, especially around Ano Poli, the upper town. Among 15 Byzantine UNESCO monuments in the area, you can visit the catacombs at the Baptistery of St. John the Baptist near the sixth-century Hagia Sophia, the seventh-century Church of Hagios Demetrios, Aristotelous Square, the Archaeological Museum, Byzantine Museum, and White Tower Museum. In the evening, walk along Aristotelous Square and the bustling waterfront, where it feels as though the entire city is out running, walking, watching street performances, and enjoying happy hours around the lively areas.

For dinner, there are hundreds of traditional Greek, international, and even vegan restaurants along the narrow alleys of Old Town and Ladadika districts. Try Frutti de Mare for seafood, Roots for vegan Mediterranean, and Oval Bistronomy for modern Greek with a view of the tower. 

Drive about 45 miles west from Thessaloniki to Vergina to see one of the best-preserved moments in archeological history. From the outside, the grassy mound may not look like much, but once you go underground, your eyes will adjust to the bright gold objects stored in a dark and cool museum.

Here, you can see a glorious, shiny tomb of King Philip II, father of Alexander the Great, who died in 336 BC. The Museum of the Royal Tombs of Aigai, constructed by the Kingdom of Macedon at Aigai, was only identified in 1977, and the museum was completed in 1997. Inside, you can see silver and bronze vessels, carved ivory, gold armor, delicate jewelry, weapons, shields, and the king’s bones in the Golden Larnax. Entry tickets are half-price between November and March.

To continue on the trail of Alexander the Great, you can also visit nearby Polycentric Museum of Aigai in the restored part of Macedon’s  Royal Palace , which, in its day, was three times bigger than the  Parthenon .

Head further south to the region of Pieria, a quaint weekend mountain escape outside the big city of Thessaloniki. Many Greeks, Bulgarians, Serbians, and Albanians drive to the area for active adventures, fresh air, and quiet retreats. Litochoro is a charming 14th-century traditional village at the foothills of the mythical Mount Olympus, offering stunning views of the sea and the mountains.

Stroll around the cobblestone streets, and you will find adorable Macedonian-style houses decorated with rose, olive, and fig trees, rustic stone chapels, and a dozen tourist shops selling local wine, honey, herbs, and traditional sweets. A romantic dinner for two, including a bottle of Greek wine at one of the nicer restaurants — Hairi Green and Μεζέ Μεζέ — costs less than $30. Join local residents at one of the many taverna and ouzo bars to watch a game and spark a conversation.

Take the scenic 30-minute route from Litochoro village to Olympus National Park, the first national park in Greece established in 1938. Windy roads will bring you through 11,000 acres of alpine vegetation, including oak, black pine, beech, and white pine, to a monastery in Mount Olympus's heart. Visit the open-air Monastery of St. Dionysios, destroyed during World War II, and take a short hike along the icy Enippeas River to the holy caves.

Mount Olympus is a sacred place for Greeks and a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve for its diversity of flora and fauna. You can book a day-long guided hiking, mountain climbing, or canyoning tour, or for a more leisurely pace, take the trail from the village to see the spanning gorge and Enipeas waterfalls.

In the afternoon, drive a few minutes south of Litochoro to the beach town of Plaka, where you can take a relaxing swim in the glistening blue waters, have drinks and snacks at an old train tunnel transformed into Galleria Café, or take in panoramic views from the Castle of Platamon.

Head east of Thessaloniki toward three legs of the Halkidi peninsula. Each has a different vibe, focusing on hiking, beaches, and religion. The middle — and the largest peninsula in northern Greece — is Sithonia, which resembles the Greek Isles without the whitewash. Instead, you will find red terracotta rooftops, quiet hamlets, and expansive hills filled with Cyprus and olive trees. Greek vacationers prefer to sprawl around laidback villages dotted with 100 or so Blue Flag-recognized Aegean beaches boasting milder climates and pristine beaches. In Vourvourou, teenagers and families rent small self-piloted boats and move the day-long party to the crystal clear water.

As you circumvent the 26-mile-long panoramic drive along the coastline, stop at ancient settlements, olive-tasting rooms, and beachside cafes. Make time for the old village of Nikiti, Neos Marmaras, the ancient ruins of Toroni castle, and the village and beach of Agios Nikolaos. Climb to the top of Mount Itamos for a coffee and panoramic peninsula views. Sithonia is dotted with affordable Greek restaurants where you can drink tsipouro and eat fresh-caught seafood with your feet still in the sand.

Catering to all types of travelers, the Sithonia Peninsula offers accommodations for as low as $50 per night, ranging from campgrounds and apartments to beachfront villas and luxury resorts. To experience part of the Byzantine era, stay at the family-owned and operated Athena Pallas Resort , where the food and architecture are inspired by Mt. Athos monasteries. Taste different aspects of Greek culinary history at one of the onsite restaurants and get access to the famous Elia beach.

Mount Athos is the third peninsula of Halkidiki, also known as the Vatican of Greece. There are 12 fully autonomous 1,000-year-old Byzantine monasteries currently operational on the peninsula. While the holy mountain is visible from many spots in Greek Macedonia, it is not easily accessible. Male pilgrims must apply for limited permits to enter the sacred Mount Athos region, while women are not allowed to enter.

From the water, anyone can enjoy the pristine natural beauty and grandeur of the monasteries' architecture. Drive to the village of Ouranoupolis and embark on a three-hour cruise with Athos Sea Cruises to sail along the peninsula. From your boat, you can see many of the Monasteries of Mount Athos, with their large campus and remote locations nestled amidst the lush mountains.

Related Articles

Simple Flying

Which airlines flew the boeing 707.

Your changes have been saved

Email Is sent

Please verify your email address.

You’ve reached your account maximum for followed topics.

Hong Kong's Legendary Kai Tak Airport: 5 Fast Facts

Ww2 douglas c-47 “that’s all, brother” returns to us after d-day european tour, history: the story of los angeles' cerritos air disaster.

The Boeing 707 is one of the most important aircraft to date. It was the first commercially successful jet, ushering in the age of jet travel. The aircraft also marked the start of Boeing’s rise in developing commercial aircraft and the beginning of the 7X7 series. It was initially popular in the US, but soon entered service with airlines around the world.

The Boeing 707

The Boeing 707 was not the first jet aircraft developed. That accolade goes to the British manufacturer de Havilland and its Comet aircraft. It first flew in 1949 and entered service with BOAC in 1952. It suffered several early setbacks, with aircraft losses due to airframe and pressurization issues. This damaged confidence in the Comet and paved the way for other manufacturers to be more successful – although the improved later Comet saw plenty of use.

Boeing followed with the 707. Its first jet launched in 1957 and entered service in 1958. There were several variants of the 707. The first variant, the 707-120, was soon upgraded to the 707-120B with more powerful engines and the 707-220.

Significant improvements followed in 1959 with the 707-320. This was a stretched variant, with increased fuel capacity and range. Critically, this introduced transoceanic possibilities and was by far the most ordered variant. The 707-320B added aerodynamic improvements, and the 707-320C added the ability for combined cargo and passenger use (although most deliveries were higher capacity passenger models).

More than 850 707s were built, and over 700 entered airline service, but there have been plenty of government, air force, and other private operators. Most famously, 707s served as US Air Force One until the current 747s were introduced.

Very popular in the US

The 707 was unsurprisingly most successful in Boeing’s home market of the United States. It was operated by many of the US legacy carriers. Pan American World Airways ( Pan Am ) was the launch customer for the type in October 1958. It went on to be the largest operator, retiring its last aircraft in 1981.

Delta Air Lines and United Airlines were notable exceptions. They both introduced the Douglas DC-8 in 1959 and did not operate the 707. United, however, was a major operator of the shortened Boeing 720 variant.

Using data obtained from AeroTransport Data Bank (ATDB.aero), the main airlines operated the following (with numbers based on total orders placed by the airline):

• Pan Am: 133 aircraft in total, including 61 707-320B and 36 707-320C aircraft.
• TWA: 128 aircraft, including 41 707-320B and 18 707-320C aircraft.
• American Airlines : 124 aircraft, including 10 707-320B and 40 707-320C aircraft.
• Continental: 18 aircraft.
• Braniff International Airways: 19 aircraft.
• Northwest Airlines: 36 aircraft, including 26 707-320s.

Stay informed: Sign up for our daily and weekly aviation news digests.

European Airlines

European airlines were also significant users of the 707. As with US operators, 707s entered service on medium-haul routes but soon operated transatlantic with many airlines.

The largest operator was Air France with 45 aircraft (just one 707-120 and the others all 707-320s). UK airlines were close behind. BOAC operated 34 707s. These were mostly the 707-420 variant fitted with Rolls-Royce Conway engines instead of the JT4A engines. British Caledonian Airways operated 30 aircraft.

Other significant operators included Belgian airline SABENA with 30 aircraft, Lufthansa with 24 aircraft, Aer Lingus with 13 aircraft, Olympic Airlines with nine aircraft, and TAP with five.

South American airlines

The 707 flew with many of the main airlines at the time. These included VARIG with 20 aircraft, LATAM Chile with 14 aircraft, Aerolineas Argentinas with 11, and Aviana also with 11.

Asia and the Middle East

Pakistan International Airlines was one of the first, and the largest operators in Asia, with 37 Boeing 707s. Air India operated 11, El Al 24 aircraft, and Iran Air 14.

Qantas operated 34 aircraft, formerly as Qantas Empire Airways. Qantas operated the specially modified 707-138 from 1959. In the mid-1960s, these were joined by the 707-320s (in total, it operated 13 707-138s and 21 707-320s). They formed the major part of Qantas' long-haul fleet until the 1970s.

Other Asia operators included Cathay Pacific with up to 14 aircraft, Korean Air with 11, and Japan Airlines with two.

In Africa, Egyptair, South African Airways, and Ethiopian Airlines have all been significant operators. Egyptair ordered 21 aircraft over the years, and it marked a shift to a majority Boeing fleet (after it retired the Comet in the mid-1970s, it mainly operated the Boeing 707 and 737). South African Airways ordered 17 aircraft, and Ethiopian Airlines nine aircraft.

Air Zimbabwe operated the 707 on a second hand basis, using aircraft sourced from Lufthansa. It flew the type between 1985 and 1998.

What about the first 707?

Before the 707 became a worldwide success, there was a prototype – the Boeing 367-80. For its next big plane, Boeing wanted to create a jet-powered military transport airplane but failed to get the US Air Force excited. With no funding available, the planemaker decided to take a gamble and pour $16 million into the project (two-thirds of the company’s net profits until then).

After several design changes, the 367-80 came into being. Because it was modeled to be a military tanker, the 367-80 (also known as Dash-80) had few windows and no seats. While Boeing went on to build 732 units of the military version, it also targeted the airline industry.

In 1955, the company decided to display the Dash-80 to airline executives gathered in Seattle for the annual IATA convention, which coincided with the Gold Cup hydroplane races held on Lake Washington. Test pilot Tex Johnston turned what was supposed to be a simple flyover into a thrilling event by performing a couple of barrel rolls , impressing the gobsmacked airline officials.

Soon after, Pan Am placed an order of 20 Dash-80s after convincing Boeing to make some design changes, and the rest is history!

Boeing 707s still in service

The Boeing 707 is not in regular airline service anymore. TWA operated the last commercial flight in the US in 1983, but it stayed in commercial use with other - Iranian Saha Airlines operated it until 2013.

But plenty of aircraft remain flying. Today, most are in military service. The US Air Force operates more than 40 707 aircraft - all military variants based on the 707, including the E-3 Sentry and the E-8. NATO, the UK RAF, and the Royal Saudi Air Force also operate sizeable fleets of E-3 aircraft.

US operator Omega Air still has three 707s as refueling aircraft in its fleet, although data from ch-aviation shows that only one is active. One of these appeared in Boeing's lineup of all 7X7 series aircraft in 2016 as part of the 100-year celebrations.

Another 707 that still remains airworthy has been owned and flown for many years by John Travolta . He purchased an ex-Qantas Boeing 707-138 aircraft in 1988 and had it re-registered as N707JT. In 2017, he donated the aircraft to the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society, based at Shellharbour Airport in Wollongong, Australia.

The Boeing 707 is an important part of aviation history. It has seen service with many airlines around the world. This article has looked at major orderers and operators, but there are plenty more. Feel free to discuss further in the comments.

Source: ATDB.aero

Melania Trump did not travel with Trump to first presidential debate, CNN reports

Donald Trump 's wife and former First Lady Melania Trump did not accompany him on his flight to the first presidential debate with President Joe Biden , CNN reported.

While Trump has brought an entourage to Atlanta where CNN is hosting a historic debate , it is unclear if any of his family members are among the gaggle. Melania Trump's former chief of staff told NBC News  that she it would be surprising if the former first lady did not attend the debate.

Trump's sons made a number of appearances at another de-facto campaign stop for Trump: the New York criminal trial where the former president was found guilty of falsifying business records in relation to a hush money payment issued to porn star Stormy Daniels .

Melania Trump did not appear at the courthouse with him.

Presidential debate live updates: How to watch Donald Trump, Joe Biden debate tonight

Prep for the polls: See who is running for president and compare where they stand on key issues in our Voter Guide

Who is attending the debate for Biden and Trump?

Both candidates have a substantial group of supporters joining them in the spin room, where they speak with members of the press, before and after the debate.

President Joe Biden's campaign touted names including California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Trump's niece Mary Trump .

Trump also has a number of surrogates , many of whom have been flagged as potential picks for his running mate.

Watch the first presidential debate

Tune into the CNN Presidential Simulcast starting at 9 p.m. ET.

CDOT makes substantial progress ahead of US 50 Blue Mesa Middle Bridge limited opening

Travel advisory.

Montrose, Gunnison and Hinsdale Counties — The Colorado Department of Transportation is pleased to announce the limited opening of the US 50 Blue Mesa Middle Bridge ahead of the Fourth of July holiday weekend. With the first phase of repairs complete, emergency vehicles and those in smaller vehicles can start crossing over the US 50 Middle Bridge at 6:30 a.m. Wednesday, July 3. County Road 26 will remain open and maintained as a detour, and Kebler Pass is now open as well, as a seasonal route.

“CDOT anticipates delivering on our goal of opening the Blue Mesa Middle Bridge to limited traffic ahead of July 4,” said CDOT Executive Director Shoshana Lew. “We continue to work towards completing needed repairs ahead of winter. Over the course of the holiday weekend, the bridge will be open for 12 hours a day, which we hope encourages tourism in this area as these communities are still very much open for business. Starting on July 8, we will settle into a twice-a-day opening schedule to allow crews to continue to work on repairs throughout the day.”

For the long holiday weekend, one lane will be open on the bridge, and pilot cars, at slow speeds, will lead single-direction traffic between the hours of 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. through Sunday, July 7. After the long holiday weekend, beginning Monday, July 8, the bridge will be open, and pilot cars will lead single-direction traffic each day from 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. and again from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Eastbound US 50 Montrose to Gunnison

Eastbound US 50 traffic (going towards Gunnison) will be stopped at the County Road 26 turnoff that is the current detour location. This stopping point is 0.5 mile west of the Middle Bridge. At this stop, traffic will be separated by which vehicles are allowed over the Middle Bridge and which vehicles have to take the County Road 26 detour, see below for more details on allowable vehicles.

Westbound US 50 Gunnison to Montrose

Vehicles traveling westbound on US 50 (going towards Montrose) will see signage during the passage times at the CO 149 and US 50 intersection, which will allow traffic that meets the restriction criteria (see below for more details on allowable vehicles) to proceed on US 50 to the crossing point along with traffic that are wishing to camp/fish/recreate along the north shore of the reservoir. All other vehicles that do not meet the restriction criteria will need to continue on CO 149 to the County Road 26 detour. Signage will be updated at US 50 and CO 149 at the end of the access window (6:30 p.m.) directing all westbound traffic to use CO 149 to the County Road 26 detour.

Approved for crossing over the US 50 Middle Bridge:

• Passenger Vehicles
• Pickup Trucks
• Motorcycles
• Emergency vehicles, ambulances and fire trucks

Required to utilize County Road 26 detour:

• Trucks pulling trailers (boats, campers, side by sides)
• Semi-trucks

CDOT leadership will host an in-person and virtual public meeting on Tuesday, July 2, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Gunnison County Courthouse, 200 E. Virginia Ave., on the second floor to outline the limited opening schedule and discuss next steps for the continued bridge repairs. To join the meeting online, go to bit.ly/BlueMesaBridge .

Members of CDOT’s team will be out on Wednesday morning to provide refreshments and cookies to the motorists lined up at the closure points starting at 6:30 a.m. as a show of appreciation.

Crews have completed the first stage of critical repairs on the bottom flange, the horizontal part of a l-shaped beam, of the US 50 Middle Bridge. Working from a temporary scaffolding suspended from the side of the bridge, crews began the process of bolting four plates in four locations on Wednesday, June 12. This first phase of the repair process addressed areas that posed an imminent risk to structural integrity. Each plate location’s assembly is about 23 feet long, 2 ½ feet wide and 2 ½ inches thick, weighing approximately 9,000 pounds. More than 200 bolts were needed to secure each plate in place.

Currently, crews are modifying the expansion joints on the bridge to prepare for traffic on July 3. This weekend, crews will be preparing for quick deck access so that repairs can begin on the top flange on July 8, with bottom flange global repairs starting in August 2024.

Lake Fork Bridge Lane Closures

As CDOT works toward the limited opening of the US 50 Blue Mesa Middle Bridge, crews are now looking at potential repair work for the Lake Fork Bridge, located on the west side of Sapinero, and anticipate lane closures this weekend. Crews will be installing strain gauge sensors, which will monitor the effect of traffic loading on the structure and will be used to analyze effects of construction activities, such as initial milling operations as crews move into the inspection and repair phases of the Lake Fork Bridge. CDOT is currently planning single lane closures on the Lake Fork Bridge on Friday, June 28 through Monday, July 1 from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. to install the sensors.

Detour Routes:

County Road 26 continues to serve as a bypass around the bridge closure for travel between Gunnison and Montrose. This detour route is open for seven releases in each direction every day except Wednesdays when there are five releases in each direction. Each Wednesday there is a midday closure to allow crews to safely make repairs to the road, when staff and materials are available. The State of Colorado legal maximum vehicle dimensions and weights will be enforced. This allows trailers and heavier commercial vehicles to use the bypass.

Vehicles traveling through Colorado should utilize the alternate state highway detours to the north and south (Interstate 70 and US Highway 160) instead of County Road 26 if possible. To maintain the local access route as a viable, safe bypass, traffic is managed using pilot vehicles. It is a high mountain native surface and gravel road.

Along with County Road 26, Kebler Pass is now open for the season to help ease travel through the area. Kebler Pass restrictions include no vehicles over 30,000 pounds, no vehicles longer than 50 feet and no hazardous materials.

Starting June 26, Gunnison CR 26 will allow overweight and over-width traffic. These loads, in excess of 85,000 pounds and/or over 8 1⁄2 feet in width and/or 14 1⁄2 feet in height and/or truck tractor semitrailer combinations that exceed 70 feet, require special permitting on both state and County roads. Oversize-Overweight vehicles are required to comply with state regulations found at: https://leg.colorado.gov/content/size-and-weight-limitations

Extra-Legal permits (permit) must be obtained prior to entry into Colorado or prior to movement of the vehicle/load. In order to travel CR 26 both state and County permits must be obtained. At a minimum, obtaining the approved permit by noon the day before the movement of the vehicle/load should be followed to ensure that the trip can proceed. These vehicles will proceed during the regularly scheduled release times.

Travel will only be permitted during the following release times on only Wednesdays for Oversize-Overweight loads.

Eastbound release times are 6:30 and 8:30 a.m. and westbound release times are 7:30 and 9:30 a.m. Each traffic release window is 30 minutes.

For state permits contact the Colorado Department of Transportation at 1-800-350-3765 or through https://coopr.codot.gov/

For County permits contact Gunnison County Public Works at 970-641-0044 or email [email protected] or online at https://gunnisoncounty.org/157/Public-Works .

A hotline and email address continue to be available to assist customers with questions about the local access route and US 50 bridge closure. Anyone with questions can reach out via 970-648-4423 or [email protected] . Calls are closely monitored and receive a prompt reply. Information is also available on the project website at bit.ly/us50bridge . Travelers should refer to COtrip.org or the smartphone COtrip Planner app to plan an alternate route.

Travel Impacts

• US 50 is closed between Montrose and Gunnison
• Recommended alternate routes are I-70 to the north or US 160 to the south
• Oversize/overweight vehicles will only be allowed on CR 26 with a permit on Wednesdays per Colorado Department of Transportation regulations. https://leg.colorado.gov/content/size-and-weight-limitations
• No Placarded Hazardous Materials loads per Colorado Department of Transportation regulations
• Prohibited vehicles will need to use detours on I-70 or US 160 to travel between Gunnison and Montrose.

Media kit available by emailing [email protected] .

Resources for Information and Updates

For additional information about this project:

• Call (970) 648-4423 for the US 50 Bridge Closure Hotline, staffed from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Friday; leave a voicemail for a call back at other times
• Email questions to [email protected]
• Website resources: https://www.gunnisoncounty.org/1078/Hwy-50-Bridge-Closure , bit.ly/us50bridge, https://www.facebook.com/US50bridge
• To sign up for email updates on all Gunnison County roadwork messaging, please visit https://www.gunnisoncounty.org/list.aspx to select what updates you’d like to start receiving. For road updates, select Travel Advisories from the List.

Know Before You Go

Travelers are urged to “know before you go.” Gather information about weather forecasts and anticipated travel impacts and current road conditions prior to hitting the road. CDOT resources include:

• Road conditions and travel information: COtrip.org
• Download the COtrip Planner app: bit.ly/COtripapp
• Sign up for project or travel alerts: bit.ly/COnewsalerts
• See scheduled construction lane closures: bit.ly/laneclosures
• Connect with @ColoradoDOT on social media: Twitter , Facebook , Instagram and YouTube

Download the COtrip App!

The new free COtrip Planner mobile app was designed to meet the growing trend of information on mobile and tablet devices for the traveling public. The COtrip Planner app provides statewide, real-time traffic information, and works on mobile devices that operate on the iOS and Android platforms. Visit the Google Play Store (Android devices) or the Apple Store (iOS devices) to download!