Lake Pontchartrain Causeway
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway (french: Chaussée du lac Pontchartrain), also known simply as The Causeway, is a fixed link composed of two parallel
bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...
s crossing
Lake Pontchartrain Lake Pontchartrain ( ) is an estuary located in southeastern Louisiana in the United States. It covers an area of with an average depth of . Some shipping channels are kept deeper through dredging. It is roughly oval in shape, about from west ...
in southeastern
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 ...
, United States. The longer of the two bridges is long. The southern terminus of the
causeway A causeway is a track, road or railway on the upper point of an embankment across "a low, or wet place, or piece of water". It can be constructed of earth, masonry, wood, or concrete. One of the earliest known wooden causeways is the Sweet Tra ...
is in
Metairie, Louisiana Metairie ( ) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States, and is part of the New Orleans metropolitan area. With a population of 143,507 in 2020, Metairie is the largest community in Jefferson Parish and was (a ...
, a south shore suburb of
New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster.
; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...
. The northern terminus is in
Mandeville, Louisiana Mandeville is a city in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, United States. Its population was 11,560 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 U.S. census, and 13,192 at the 2020 United States census. Mandeville is located on the north shore of Lake Pontc ...
, a north shore suburb of New Orleans. From 1969 until 2011, it was listed by ''
Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
'' as the longest bridge over water in the world; in 2011, in response to the opening of the longer
Jiaozhou Bay Bridge Jiaozhou Bay Bridge (or Qingdao Haiwan Bridge) is a long roadway bridge in eastern China's Shandong province, which is part of the Jiaozhou Bay Connection Project. The longest continuous segment of the bridge is , making it one of the longes ...
in China, ''Guinness World Records'' created two categories for bridges over water: continuous and aggregate lengths over water. Lake Pontchartrain Causeway then became the longest bridge over water (continuous), while Jiaozhou Bay Bridge the longest bridge over water (aggregate). The bridges are supported by 9,500 concrete pilings. The two bridges feature a
bascule Bascule may refer to: * Bascule bridge, a moveable bridge with a counterweight that continuously balances the span in providing clearance for boat traffic * Bascule (horse), the arc a horse's body takes as it goes over a jump * Bascule light, a sma ...
, which spans the navigation channel south of the north shore.


History

The idea of a bridge spanning Lake Pontchartrain dates back to the early 19th century and
Bernard de Marigny Jean-Bernard Xavier Philippe de Marigny de Mandeville (1785–1868), known as Bernard de Marigny, was a French- Creole American nobleman, playboy, planter, politician, duelist, writer, horse breeder, land developer, and President of the Louisia ...
, the founder of Mandeville. He started a
ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...
service that continued to operate into the mid-1930s. In the 1920s, a proposal called for the creation of
artificial island An artificial island is an island that has been constructed by people rather than formed by natural means. Artificial islands may vary in size from small islets reclaimed solely to support a single pillar of a building or structure to those tha ...
s that would then be linked by a series of bridges. The financing for this plan would come from selling home sites on the islands. The modern causeway started to take form in 1948 when Ernest M. Loëb Jr. envisioned the project. Due to his lobbying and vision, the
Louisiana Legislature The Louisiana State Legislature (french: Législature d'État de Louisiane) is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is a bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representa ...
created what is now the
Causeway Commission The Greater New Orleans Expressway Commission (GNOEC), commonly called The Causeway Commission, is an entity responsible for the maintenance, construction, and enforcement of safety laws on the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway. It is headquartered in M ...
. The Louisiana Bridge Company was formed to construct the bridge, which in turn appointed James E. Walters Sr. to direct the project. Ernest M Loëb was assisted by his nephew, Ernest M. Loëb III, president of Ernest M. Loëb & Company to plan the construction of the bridge The original causeway was a two-lane span, measuring in length. It opened in 1956 at a cost of $46 million (equivalent to $ million in dollars). This included not just the bridge, but three approach roads on the north end and a long stretch of road on the south end. On June 16, 1964, six people died when barges tore a gap in the bridge and a bus plunged into the lake. A parallel two-lane span, longer than the original, opened on May 10, 1969, at a cost of $30 million (equivalent to $ million in dollars). Since its construction, the causeway has operated as a
toll bridge A toll bridge is a bridge where a monetary charge (or ''toll'') is required to pass over. Generally the private or public owner, builder and maintainer of the bridge uses the toll to recoup their investment, in much the same way as a toll road. ...
. Until 1999, tolls were collected from traffic going in each direction. To alleviate congestion on the south shore, toll collections were eliminated on the northbound span. In May 1999, the standard tolls for cars changed from $1.50 in each direction to a $3 toll collected on the North Shore for southbound traffic. In 2017, the toll was raised to fund safety improvements on the bridge. The toll changed from $3.00 with cash and $2.00 with a toll tag to $5.00 with cash and $3.00 with a toll tag. The opening of the causeway boosted the fortunes of small North Shore communities by reducing drive time into New Orleans by up to 50 minutes, bringing the North Shore into the
New Orleans metropolitan area The New Orleans metropolitan area, designated the New Orleans–Metairie metropolitan statistical area by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, or simply Greater New Orleans (french: Grande Nouvelle-Orléans, es, Gran Nueva Orleans), is a me ...
. Prior to the causeway, residents of
St. Tammany Parish St. Tammany Parish (french: Paroisse de Saint-Tammany) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana named after Tamanend, the legendary Lenape Chief of Chiefs and the "Patron Saint of America." At the 2020 census, the population was 2 ...
used either the
Maestri Bridge The Maestri Bridge (originally known as the Pontchartrain Bridge and later as the Watson-Williams Pontchartrain Bridge and the Five Mile Bridge) carries U.S. Route 11 (US 11) across Lake Pontchartrain between New Orleans and Slidell, ...
on U.S. Route 11 or the
Rigolets Bridge The Fort Pike Bridge (also known as the Rigolets Bridge), named after nearby Fort Pike, carries U.S. Route 90 across the Rigolets on the eastern side of Lake Pontchartrain between New Orleans and Slidell in Louisiana. It is owned and operated ...
on
U.S. Route 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 ...
, both near
Slidell, Louisiana Slidell is a city on the northeast shore of Lake Pontchartrain in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 28,781 at the 2020 census. It is part of the New Orleans− Metairie−Kenner metropolitan statistical area. Hist ...
; or on the west side, via
U.S. Route 51 U.S. Route 51 or U.S. Highway 51 (US 51) is a major south-north United States highway that extends from the western suburbs of New Orleans, Louisiana, to within of the Wisconsin–Michigan state line. As most of the United States Numbered Highw ...
through
Manchac, Louisiana Manchac (also known as Akers) is an unincorporated community in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, United States. Etymology Dr. John R. Swanton, a linguist who worked with Native American languages, suggested that the name Manchac is derived from '' ...
. After
Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...
on August 29, 2005,
video Video is an electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving visual media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, which were quickly replaced by cathode-ray tube (CRT) syste ...
s collected showed damage to the bridge. The
storm surge A storm surge, storm flood, tidal surge, or storm tide is a coastal flood or tsunami-like phenomenon of rising water commonly associated with low-pressure weather systems, such as cyclones. It is measured as the rise in water level above the n ...
was not as high under the causeway as it was near the
I-10 Twin Span Bridge The I-10 Twin Span Bridge, a nearly causeway officially known as the Frank Davis "Naturally N'Awlins" Memorial Bridge, consists of two parallel trestle bridges. These parallel bridges cross the eastern end of Lake Pontchartrain in southern Louis ...
, and damage was mostly limited to the turnarounds. A total of 17 spans were lost on that bridge but the structural foundations remained intact. The causeways have never sustained major damage of any sort from hurricanes or other natural occurrences, a rarity among causeways. The existing fiber optic cable plant was blown out of its tray but remained intact per
optical time domain reflectometer An optical time-domain reflectometer (OTDR) is an optoelectronic instrument used to characterize an optical fiber. It is the optical equivalent of an electronic time domain reflectometer which measures the impedance of the cable or transmission ...
(OTDR) analysis. With the I-10 Twin Span Bridge severely damaged, the causeway was used as a major route for recovery teams staying in lands to the north to get into New Orleans. The causeway reopened first to emergency traffic and then to the general public – with tolls suspended – on September 19, 2005. Tolls were reinstated by mid-October of that year. The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway is one of seven highway spans 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 ...
with a total length of or more. The others are, in order from longest to shortest, the
Manchac Swamp bridge The Manchac Swamp Bridge is a twin concrete trestle bridge near Manchac in the US state of Louisiana. With a total length of , it is one of the longest bridges in the world over water and is the longest bridge on the Interstate Highway System ...
on
I-55 Interstate 55 (I-55) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, connecting the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes. The h ...
, the
Atchafalaya Basin Bridge The Atchafalaya Basin Bridge, also known as the Louisiana Airborne Memorial Bridge, is a pair of parallel bridges in the U.S. state of Louisiana between Baton Rouge and Lafayette which carries Interstate 10 over the Atchafalaya Basin. With a tota ...
on
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 ...
, the
Louisiana Highway 1 Bridge The Louisiana Highway 1 Bridge, also known as the Gateway to the Gulf Expressway, is a concrete trestle toll bridge in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a total length of , it is one of the longest bridges in the world. The bridge carries Louis ...
, the Bonnet Carré Spillway Bridge on
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 ...
, the Chacahoula Swamp Bridge on
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 ...
, the Lake Pontchartrain Twin Spans on
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 ...
, and the
LaBranche Wetlands Bridge The LaBranche Wetlands Bridge is a concrete trestle bridge in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a total length of , it is one of the longest bridges in the world. The bridge carries Interstate 310 over the LaBranche Wetlands in St. Charles Pa ...
on
I-310 Interstate 310 is the designation for several highways in the United States, which are related to Interstate 10: *Interstate 310 (Louisiana) Interstate 310 (I-310) is a short spur route of I-10 west of New Orleans, located entirely in ...
. The
Maestri Bridge The Maestri Bridge (originally known as the Pontchartrain Bridge and later as the Watson-Williams Pontchartrain Bridge and the Five Mile Bridge) carries U.S. Route 11 (US 11) across Lake Pontchartrain between New Orleans and Slidell, ...
comes close, but runs short by two-tenths of a mile at roughly in total length. Louisiana is also home to the
Norfolk Southern Lake Pontchartrain Bridge The Norfolk Southern Lake Pontchartrain Bridge is a rolling lift trunnion bridge that carries a single-track of Norfolk Southern rail line over Lake Pontchartrain between Slidell and New Orleans, Louisiana, parallel to the Maestri Bridge At lon ...
, which at is one of the longest
railway bridge A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whic ...
s in the United States. The southern end of the
Manchac Swamp Bridge The Manchac Swamp Bridge is a twin concrete trestle bridge near Manchac in the US state of Louisiana. With a total length of , it is one of the longest bridges in the world over water and is the longest bridge on the Interstate Highway System ...
(on the western edge of Lake Pontchartrain) is the western end of the
I-10 Bonnet Carré Spillway Bridge The I-10 Bonnet Carré Spillway Bridge is a twin concrete trestle bridge in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a total length of , it is one of the longest bridges in the world. The bridge carries Interstate 10 over the Bonnet Carré Spillway, L ...
(on the southwestern edge of Lake Pontchartrain), and the northern end of the
LaBranche Wetlands Bridge The LaBranche Wetlands Bridge is a concrete trestle bridge in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a total length of , it is one of the longest bridges in the world. The bridge carries Interstate 310 over the LaBranche Wetlands in St. Charles Pa ...
is the eastern end of the I-10 Bonnet Carré Spillway Bridge; so these three bridges, by name, are in fact one contiguous bridge. The total driving distance on continuous elevated roadway is over . The bridge was designated as a
National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark __NOTOC__ The following is a list of Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks as designated by the American Society of Civil Engineers since it began the program in 1964. The designation is granted to projects, structures, and sites in the United State ...
by the
American Society of Civil Engineers American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...
in 2013.


''Guinness World Records'' controversy

For decades Lake Pontchartrain Causeway was listed by ''
Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
'' as the longest bridge over water in the world. In July 2011 the
Jiaozhou Bay Bridge Jiaozhou Bay Bridge (or Qingdao Haiwan Bridge) is a long roadway bridge in eastern China's Shandong province, which is part of the Jiaozhou Bay Connection Project. The longest continuous segment of the bridge is , making it one of the longes ...
in China was named by ''Guinness World Records'' as the 'longest bridge over water'. At that time there was some controversy in the United States as supporters of the former holder of the record, the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, disagreed with ''Guinness World Records'' not calling the causeway the longest. Supporters made this claim based on its own definition i.e., the length of a bridge physically over water and concluded that the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway spans , and was therefore the longest. The Jiaozhou Bay Bridge spans water for only . However, ''Guinness World Records'', using the criteria of measurement that included aggregate structures, such as land bridges on the ends and an under-sea
tunnel A tunnel is an underground passageway, dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, and enclosed except for the entrance and exit, commonly at each end. A pipeline is not a tunnel, though some recent tunnels have used immersed tube cons ...
, stated that the Jiaozhou Bay Bridge is long. Following this controversy in July 2011, ''Guinness World Records'' created two categories for bridges over water: continuous and aggregate lengths over water. Lake Pontchartrain Causeway then became the ''longest bridge over water (continuous)'', while Jiaozhou Bay Bridge became the ''longest bridge over water (aggregate)''.


See also

*
List of bridges in the United States This list of bridges in the United States is organized by state and includes notable bridges (both existing and destroyed) in the United States. There are more than 600,000 bridges in the U.S.List of longest bridges in the world This is a list of the world's longest bridges that are more than in length sorted by their full length above land and water. The main span is the longest span without any ground support. '' Note: There is no standard way to measure the total l ...
*
Megaproject A megaproject is an extremely large-scale investment project. According to the ''Oxford Handbook of Megaproject Management'', "Megaprojects are large-scale, complex ventures that typically cost $1 billion or more, take many years to develop and ...
*
Prestressed concrete Prestressed concrete is a form of concrete used in construction. It is substantially "prestressed" ( compressed) during production, in a manner that strengthens it against tensile forces which will exist when in service. Post-tensioned concreted i ...


References


External links


The Causeway website
*https://web.archive.org/web/20090806091006/https://library.rice.edu/collections/WRC/finding-aids/manuscripts/0488 *
Historic American Engineering Record Heritage Documentation Programs (HDP) is a division of the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) responsible for administering the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), Historic American Engineering Record (HAER), and Historic American Landscapes ...
(HAER) documentation, filed under Causeway Boulevard, Metairie, Jefferson Parish, LA: ** ** ** ** ** {{Bridge footer Bascule bridges in the United States Toll bridges in Louisiana Bridges completed in 1956 Bridges completed in 1969 Buildings and structures in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana Buildings and structures in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana Transportation in the New Orleans metropolitan area Causeways in the United States Roads in Louisiana Road bridges in Louisiana Transportation in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana Transportation in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana Tourist attractions in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana Tourist attractions in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana Concrete bridges in the United States Trestle bridges in the United States Historic American Engineering Record in Louisiana Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks