Interstate 210 (I-210) in

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 ...

, also known as the Lake Charles Bypass, is a bypass route in Lake Charles, in the southwestern part of the state. As a bypass of

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 ...

, both ends of I-210 meet with I-10.

Route description

The western terminus connects with I-10 east of

Sulphur Sulfur (or sulphur in British English) is a chemical element with the symbol S and atomic number 16. It is abundant, multivalent and nonmetallic. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms form cyclic octatomic molecules with a chemical formula ...

, heading southeast as it bypasses central Lake Charles around the southside. east of the western terminus, I-210 rises over the

Israel LaFleur Bridge The Israel LaFleur Bridge is a concrete pillar vehicular bridge located in Lake Charles, Louisiana. The bridge was built in 1962 as part of Interstate 210 (Lake Charles Loop; a highway expansion that travels over the Calcasieu River, south of La ...

, one of the highest bridges in the

Interstate Highway System The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States. Th ...

, to pass over the

Calcasieu Ship Channel The Calcasieu Ship Channel is a waterway that connects the city of Lake Charles, Louisiana, with the Gulf of Mexico. Its existence allows the Port of Lake Charles, which is more than 30 miles from the Gulf, to be the 11th largest seaport in the Un ...

. At the southeastern end of the bridge, the highway meets with exit 3, Prien Lake Road, eastbound. I-210 heads east through Lake Charles, turning 90 degrees at exit 8, LA 14/Gerstner Memorial Drive. The highway then heads north toward its eastern terminus with I-10 just east of Lake Charles. Though portions of the freeway run north–south, the entire route is signed east–west. All of I-210 is included as part of the National Highway System, a system of roadways important to the nation's economy, defense, and mobility.

History

I-210, including the Israel LaFleur Bridge, was constructed between its western terminus and Prien Lake Road circa 1963 to 1965. Initially, the western terminus at I-10 consisted solely of eastbound entrance and westbound exit ramps. The eastern remainder of I-210 was built circa 1975 to 1976, and westbound entrance / eastbound exit ramps were added to the western terminus in 1986. Much of the area surrounding I-210 in southern Lake Charles was developed prior to construction of the freeway. As a result, many homes and businesses in its path were demolished. The freeway remained largely unchanged from its original configuration until 2005, when construction of the L'Auberge du Lac Casino Resort resulted in the addition of a ramp linked to the Nelson Road interchange. Between 2013 and 2015, the Prien Lake Road interchange was rebuilt to allow access to the

Golden Nugget Lake Charles Golden Nugget Lake Charles is a 242-acre waterfront casino resort in Lake Charles, Louisiana, United States, owned and operated by Houston-based Landry's, Inc. The resort features 1038 guest rooms and suites housed in a 22-story tower, an 18-hol ...

. During the planning phase of the freeway, it was known as the South City Bypass. Older signage (prior to the 2000s) referred to the road as the Lake Charles Loop.

Route description

History

Exit list

References

See also