At the end of the century, Paris began to modernise its public transport system to try to catch up with London. The first metro line was begun in 1897 between the Porte Maillot and the Porte de Vincennes. It was finished in time for the 1900 Universal Exposition. Two new bridges were built over the Seine. One was the Pont Alexandre III, which connected the left bank with the site of the 1900 Exposition. Its cornerstone was laid in 1896 by Emperor Nicholas II of Russia, who, in 1894, had succeeded his father, Alexander III of Russia. The new avenue between the bridge and the Champs Élysées was first named the Avenue Alexandre III, then Avenue Nicolas II, and again Avenue Alexandre III until 1966, when it was finally renamed Avenue Winston-Churchill. The same engineers who built the modern iron structure of the Pont Alexandre III also built the Pont Mirabeau, which connected Auteuil and Javel.