Lake Pontchartrain Causeway

The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway consists of two parallel bridges that are the longest bridges in the world. These parallel bridges cross Lake Pontchartrain in Southern Louisiana. The longer of the two bridges is 23 miles (38.422 kilometers) long. The bridges are supported by over 9,000 concrete pilings.

Related Topics:
Bridge - Lake Pontchartrain - Louisiana

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The southern end of the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway is in Metairie, Louisiana, a suburb of New Orleans. The northern end is at Mandeville, Louisiana.

Related Topics:
Metairie, Louisiana - New Orleans - Mandeville, Louisiana

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The original Causeway was a two-lane span that opened in 1956. A parallel two-lane span, slightly longer than the original, opened in 1969. The Causeway has always been a toll bridge. Until 1999, tolls were collected from traffic going in each direction. To alleviate congestion at the south shore entrance, the toll facilities were removed from the northbound span. The standard tolls for cars changed from $1.50 in each direction to a $3.00 toll collected on the North Shore from southbound traffic only.

Related Topics:
1956 - 1969 - 1999

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The opening of the Causeway boosted the fortunes of small North Shore communities because residents could commute to New Orleans, bringing the North Shore into the Greater New Orleans Metropolitan area.

Related Topics:
Greater New Orleans - Metropolitan area

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After Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005, videos collected showed damage to the bridge, but the damage was largely cosmetic; the structural foundations remained intact. With the I-10 Twin Spans destroyed, the Causeway was used as a major route for recovery teams to get into New Orleans. The bridge is not yet reopened for public use, but will likely be even more important when it does reopen.

Related Topics:
Hurricane Katrina - August 29 - 2005

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The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway should not be confused with the Pontchartrain Expressway, a section of Interstate 10 and U.S. Highway 90 in downtown New Orleans.

Related Topics:
Pontchartrain Expressway - Interstate 10 - U.S. Highway 90

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