After eight years of construction, the Padma Multipurpose Bridge in Bangladesh opened to the public on June 26, reducing travel time from parts of the southwest of the country to the capital Dhaka from seven to eight hours to as little as just 10 minutes.

The 21.5-meter-wide, 6.15-kilometer-long bridge built over the Padma River, the main branch of the Ganges, has two levels with the upper tier having a four-lane highway and the lower tier a single-track railway, according to Wuhan-based China Railway Major Bridge Engineering Group, or MBEC, one of China’s biggest bridge makers. Before that, travelers and goods were transported via boat or ship because of the vast width and fast-flowing nature of the river, and the tendency of the area to flood.

In 2014, the Bangladeshi government awarded MBEC a $1.54-billion contract to build the core structure of the bridge, making it the country’s largest infrastructure(基础建设) project as well as the largest foreign bridge project undertaken by Chinese companies in terms of total cost.

“The construction was much harder than expected as the complex geological conditions brought multiple challenges to us,” said Shen Tao, deputy general manager of the project. “The bridge is located above a river with banks on loose soil, and downpours in the rainy season often caused flooding, bringing us numerous difficulties we had never experienced before.” “During the construction, we had to adjust the design plan to adapt to environmental changes whenever necessary,” he added.

“However, through continuous learning and adaptation, construction teams have greatly improved their abilities including technology, communication and adaptability.” said Wen Wusong, chairman of MBEC. “They demonstrated the strength of China’s road bridge construction to the whole world and the bridge is a model of international cooperation.”

Over the past eight years, the project has created over 50,000 jobs for local residents, according to MBEC.

Air taxis still seem like a far-off concept. However, the technology has continued to advance. An announcement this week from electric aircraft startup Archer Aviation just brought a future where you can call a flight across town one step closer.

Archer announced yesterday that it has planned to launch a network of air taxis in the city by 2024. Archer’s version of a flying taxi is called the Maker. It looks a bit like a helicopter and has three propellers. The all-electric, zero-emission aircraft can go up to 60 miles on a single charge, and can travel at speeds up to 150 miles per hour. The windows give passengers a 270-degree view, and if the outside world below you isn’t entertaining enough, there’s also a touch screen for flight information and other entertainment options.

Though all the data are in place, Archer hasn’t actually started producing Makers yet. There’s still a lot that needs to take place before we look up and see air taxis flying above our city streets. There need to be more takeoff and landing sites to make this mode of transportation practical and time-saving; its costs need to come down if anyone other than the wealthy is to be able to use it.

Despite the remaining obstacles, Archer is optimistic about its potential, projecting more than $12 billion of income by 2030. If that ends up being accurate, it will mean a lot of people are using air taxis to get around, and in more cities. Either way, it seems this mode of transportation is slowly but surely moving from a far-off concept to near-term reality.