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, Louisiana, in the United States. The bridge was the longest concrete bridge in the world upon completion. It is wide and has two bascule-type draw spans for passing vessels and barges.

History

The bridge opened on February 18, 1928, as the first permanent crossing of Lake Pontchartrain. The New Orleans Stock Exchange was closed on the day of the opening, a Saturday, to allow members to attend the opening. The bridge was originally a toll structure, costing $1.25 for a motor vehicle with one driver plus ten cents for each additional passenger. Louisiana Governor Huey Long was opposed to toll bridges and offered to have the state purchase the bridge from its private owners. The offer was rejected, so Long constructed two free bridges to the east along U.S. Route 90 (US 90) across Chef Menteur Pass and the

Rigolets Rigolets is a 12.9 kilometer (8 mi) long deepwater strait in Louisiana. "Rigolets" comes from the word ''rigole'', French language, French for 'trench' or 'gutter'. The name is now locally pronounced "RIG-uh-leez". The strait begins at and ...

Pass. With a free alternative, the toll bridge faced financial ruin and was sold to the state in 1938 for $940,000. Following the purchase, the bridge's name was changed to the Maestri Bridge in honor of Robert Maestri, the mayor of New Orleans from 1936 to 1946. US 11, formerly cosigned with US 90 across the Chef Menteur and Rigolets Bridges, was rerouted onto the Maestri Bridge around 1941. In 2005,

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 ...

virtually destroyed 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 ...

to the east. However, due to its sturdy construction, the Maestri Bridge was largely undamaged and was the only route to New Orleans from the East until the Twin Spans could be temporarily fixed, as US 90 was also closed due to damage to the

Fort Pike 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 ...

. The bridge was closed in January 2012 for repairs. LA DOTD awarded a $5.7 million contract to rehabilitate the bridge's railings. It reopened on May 21. It was closed once more in January 2019 as part of a $28.6 million overhaul to the bridge.

References

Bridges in New Orleans Bridges completed in 1928 Buildings and structures in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana Road bridges in Louisiana U.S. Route 11 Bridges of the United States Numbered Highway System Transportation in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana Bascule bridges in the United States Former toll bridges in Louisiana 1928 establishments in Louisiana Concrete bridges in the United States {{Louisiana-bridge-struct-stub

History

See also

References