The Earhart Expressway, named for former
Commissioner of Public Utilities,
Fred A. Earhart,
is a state highway located in both
Jefferson Parish Jefferson may refer to:
Names
* Jefferson (surname)
* Jefferson (given name)
People
* Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), third president of the United States
* Jefferson (footballer, born 1970), full name Jefferson Tomaz de Souza, Brazilian foot ...
and
,
Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
. It is also designated as Louisiana Highway 3139 (LA 3139), spanning a total of . Although it is an odd-numbered highway and is bannered north/south, it travels in a more east-to-west direction.
Route description
From the south (east), LA 3139 begins at the intersection of Earhart Boulevard and Monroe Street in
. The expressway designation begins several blocks later as Earhart Boulevard transitions into a
limited-access
A limited-access road, known by various terms worldwide, including limited-access highway, dual-carriageway, expressway, limited access freeway, and partial controlled access highway, is a highway or arterial road for high-speed traffic which ...
freeway after crossing Hamilton Street. Earhart Expressway proceeds westward and passes over Hoey's Canal and the
Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company (french: Compagnie des chemins de fer nationaux du Canada) is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States.
CN i ...
(CN) as it crosses from
into
Jefferson Parish Jefferson may refer to:
Names
* Jefferson (surname)
* Jefferson (given name)
People
* Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), third president of the United States
* Jefferson (footballer, born 1970), full name Jefferson Tomaz de Souza, Brazilian foot ...
. A partial interchange at Deckbar Avenue provides access to
U.S. 90
U.S. Route 90 or U.S. Highway 90 (US 90) is an east–west major United States highway in the Southern United States. Despite the "0" in its route number, US 90 never was a full coast-to-coast route. With the exception of a short-lived ...
(
Jefferson Highway
The Jefferson Highway was an automobile highway stretching through the central United States from New Orleans, Louisiana, to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The Jefferson Highway was replaced with the new numbered US Highway system in the late 1920s. ...
). Continuing westward along the southern boundary of
Metairie, the expressway passes underneath Causeway Boulevard (
LA 3046) and crosses over the
Norfolk Southern Railway
The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad in the United States formed in 1982 with the merger of Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. With headquarters in Atlanta, the company operates 19,420 route miles (31 ...
(NS). A second partial interchange is encountered at Cleary Avenue, providing access to
U.S. 61 (
Airline Drive), after which the expressway again crosses over the CN railroad tracks as well as Central Avenue. The only full interchange along the route occurs at (South) Clearview Parkway (
LA 3152), a north-south thoroughfare which connects the
Huey P. Long Bridge with U.S. 61 and
I-10
Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost cross-country highway in the American Interstate Highway System. I-10 is the fourth-longest Interstate in the United States at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. This freeway is part of the originally pl ...
. From this interchange, the expressway proceeds westward to a terminus at Dickory Avenue (
LA 3154) near
Harahan
Harahan is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana and suburb of New Orleans. The city of Harahan is located in Jefferson Parish; its population was 9,116 at the 2020 census.
Etymology
Harahan was named in honor of James Theodore Harahan, presi ...
.
The majority of the expressway carries three lanes in each direction, narrowing to two lanes at either end. The posted speed limit is 50 mph (80 km/h), and there is no paved shoulder along the route. Excepting the full interchange at Clearview Parkway, exits only occur from the westbound lanes, and marked on-ramps only serve the eastbound direction. (An unmarked on-ramp enters the westbound lanes from L&A Road behind the
Kansas City Southern railroad yard). Earhart Expressway is used as a relatively uncongested route for commuters, as well as an alternate to I-10 or Airline Drive to reach
Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport
Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (French language, French: ''Aéroport international Louis Armstrong de La Nouvelle-Orléans'') is an international airport under Airspace class (United States), Class B airspace in Kenner, Loui ...
.
Earhart Boulevard
The Earhart Expressway is an extension of Earhart Boulevard, a divided four- and six-lane thoroughfare that begins at Loyola Avenue near the
New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal
New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal (NOUPT) is an intermodal facility in New Orleans, Louisiana, US. Located at 1001 Loyola Avenue, it is served by Amtrak, Greyhound Lines, Megabus, and NORTA with direct connections to the Rampart–St. Claud ...
. It continues the route of Calliope Street alongside and underneath the
Pontchartrain Expressway
The Pontchartrain Expressway is a parallel six-lane section of Interstate 10 (I-10) and U.S. Route 90 Business (US 90 Bus.) in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, with a brief stand-alone section in between junctions with these highway ...
(
U.S. 90 Business), splitting off at
South Claiborne Avenue and following an abandoned railroad right-of-way to the beginning of the expressway, about from the Orleans/Jefferson Parish line.
Major intersections
References
External links
La DOTD State, District, and Parish MapsDistrict 02Orleans ParishJefferson Parish (North Section)
{{New Orleans
3139
Streets in New Orleans
Roads in Louisiana
Freeways in the United States
Transportation in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana
1971 establishments in Louisiana