Huey P. Long Bridge (Baton Rouge): Difference between revisions

Huey P. Long Bridge
Huey P. Long Bridge
	Huey P. Long Bridge from the southwest
Coordinates	30°30′25″N 91°11′51″W / 30.50694°N 91.19750°W
Carries	4 lanes of US 190; 1 Canadian Pacific Kansas City rail line
Crosses	Mississippi River
Locale	Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Official name	Huey P. Long - O.K. Allen Bridge
Other name(s)	Old Bridge
Maintained by	Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development
ID number	611700071000001
Characteristics
Design	Cantilever truss bridge
Total length	5,879 feet (1,792 m)
Clearance below	113 feet (34 m)
History
Construction cost	$8.4 million
Opened	August 1940
Statistics
Daily traffic	17,300
Location

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The Huey P. Long - O.K. Allen Bridge (locally known as the Old Bridge) is a truss cantilever bridge over the Mississippi River carrying US 190 (Airline Highway) and one rail line between East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana and West Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana.

Although the bridge is named after former Louisiana governors Huey P. Long and Oscar K. Allen, it is known locally in the Baton Rouge Area as "the old bridge".^[3]

It was the only bridge across the Mississippi in Baton Rouge from its opening until April 1968, when the Horace Wilkinson Bridge ("the new bridge") carrying Interstate 10 opened. Until 2011, when the John James Audubon Bridge opened between St. Francisville and New Roads, it was the last bridge crossing the Mississippi before the Natchez-Vidalia Bridge, almost 100 miles to the north.

Design

The bridge is similar in design to the Huey P. Long Bridge in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana (until the downstream bridge was widened to six lanes in 2013). Its lanes are narrow and during cold weather, it has a tendency to ice over.

Due to the low height of the bridge, Baton Rouge is the furthest inland port on the Mississippi River that can accommodate ocean-going tankers and cargo carriers. The ships transfer their cargo (grain, oil, cars, containers) at Baton Rouge onto rails and pipelines (to travel east–west) or barges (to travel north). In addition, the river depth decreases significantly just to the north, near Port Hudson.^[4]

State of repair

The bridge itself is currently in a poor state of repair; the girder foundations on both railroad approach spans are beginning to show hairline cracks, but engineers have assured the city that the bridge is not in any imminent danger.^[3]

The bridge has been repainted several times since its construction, including in the mid-1960s when the bridge was repainted orange; this was done to match the color of dust being emitted by the Kaiser Aluminum plant on the southeast bank of the river, which continually coated the bridge with aluminum oxide (bauxite) dust.^[5]^[6] It was widened in 1989, and again repainted between 2014 and 2016 to its original color of light gray.^[7]^[8]

Planned Interstate 410

The bridge was once planned as part of an Interstate 410.

Accidents

Only one person is reported to have driven off the edge of the bridge. In 1945, a cargo truck driver headed eastbound careened off the sides. The driver fell through the windshield and was crushed on a dock as his truck landed on top of him.^[3] The scars from the accident can still be seen on the dock to one's right approaching the east end of the eastbound span.

In popular culture

The bridge is featured in a scene in the 1982 Richard Pryor film, The Toy.

References

^ "Huey P. Long Bridge Widening".
^ Will Sentel (December 3, 2013), Old bridge getting new look, The Advocate, archived from the original on August 10, 2014, retrieved August 7, 2014
^ ^a ^b ^c "Paint Party". The Riverside Reader. [Port Allen, LA] October 1, 2012. Pg. 1. Print
^ "Port of Greater Baton Rouge". Archived from the original on June 14, 2006. Retrieved April 26, 2008.
^ AA Roads - US Highway 190 Mississippi River Bridge Archived June 9, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
^ John Weeks.com - Huey P. Long Bridge
^ "Ask The Advocate: Questions about the U.S. 190 bridge". The Advocate. July 6, 2015. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
^ "Historic Bridge Management Plan for the Old Mississippi River (Huey P. Long) Bridge" (PDF). Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development. Retrieved January 1, 2022.

[1] "Huey P. Long Bridge Widening".

[2] Will Sentel (December 3, 2013), Old bridge getting new look, The Advocate, archived from the original on August 10, 2014, retrieved August 7, 2014

[whatis-3] "Paint Party". The Riverside Reader. [Port Allen, LA] October 1, 2012. Pg. 1. Print

[4] "Port of Greater Baton Rouge". Archived from the original on June 14, 2006. Retrieved April 26, 2008.

[5] AA Roads - US Highway 190 Mississippi River Bridge Archived June 9, 2007, at the Wayback Machine

[6] John Weeks.com - Huey P. Long Bridge

[7] "Ask The Advocate: Questions about the U.S. 190 bridge". The Advocate. July 6, 2015. Retrieved January 1, 2022.

[8] "Historic Bridge Management Plan for the Old Mississippi River (Huey P. Long) Bridge" (PDF). Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development. Retrieved January 1, 2022.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{Hatnote|This article is about a bridge in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; a second [[Huey P. Long Bridge (Jefferson Parish)|Huey P. Long Bridge]] is in Jefferson Parish.}}
+{{Hatnote|This article is about a bridge in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; an earlier [[Huey P. Long Bridge (Jefferson Parish)|Huey P. Long Bridge]] is in Jefferson Parish.}}
+{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2019}}
 {{Infobox bridge
-|bridge_name= Huey P. Long - O.K. Allen Bridge
+|bridge_name= Huey P. Long Bridge
-|image= Huey P. Long Bridge Baton Rouge northwest 1.jpg
+|image= Huey P. Long Bridge in Baton Rouge, Louisiana (USA), on 14 December 2021.jpg
+|image_size=300px
-|caption= Huey P. Long Bridge from the northwest
+|caption= Huey P. Long Bridge from the southwest
 |official_name= Huey P. Long - O.K. Allen Bridge
 |also_known_as= Old Bridge
-|carries= 4 lanes of {{jct|state=LA|US|190}}<br>1 [[Kansas City Southern Railway|Kansas City Southern]] rail line
+|carries= 4 lanes of {{jct|state=LA|US|190}}<br />1 [[Canadian Pacific Kansas City]] rail line
 |crosses= [[Mississippi River]]
 |locale= [[Baton Rouge, Louisiana]]
-|maint= [[Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development]]{{Citation needed|date=August 2009}}
+|maint= [[Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development]]<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.modjeski.com/projects/truss/huey-p-long-bridge-widening | title=Huey P. Long Bridge Widening }}</ref>
 |id= 611700071000001
 |design= [[Cantilever bridge|Cantilever]] [[truss bridge]]
@@ Line 18: / Line 20: @@
 |below= {{convert|113|ft|m|0}}
 |traffic= 17,300
-|cost= $8.4 million<ref>{{citation | url = http://theadvocate.com/home/7636491-125/old-bridge-getting-new-look | title = Old bridge getting new look | author = Will Sentel | date = 3 December 2013 | accessdate = 7 August 2014 | publisher = The Advocate }}</ref>
+|cost= $8.4 million<ref>{{citation|url=http://theadvocate.com/home/7636491-125/old-bridge-getting-new-look|title=Old bridge getting new look|author=Will Sentel|date=December 3, 2013|accessdate=August 7, 2014|publisher=The Advocate|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140810045318/http://theadvocate.com/home/7636491-125/old-bridge-getting-new-look|archivedate=August 10, 2014}}</ref>
 |open= August 1940
 |closed=
 |toll=
+|coordinates = {{coord|30|30|25|N|91|11|51|W|display=inline,title}}
-|map_cue=
-|map_image=
-|map_text=
-|map_width=
-|coordinates= {{Coord|30|30|25|N|91|11|51|W|region:US_type:landmark}}
 }}
+The '''Huey P. Long - O.K. Allen Bridge''' (locally known as the '''Old Bridge''') is a [[truss]] [[cantilever bridge]] over the [[Mississippi River]] carrying [[US 190]] ([[Airline Highway]]) and one [[Rail transport|rail]] line between [[East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana]] and [[West Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana]].
+Although the bridge is named after former Louisiana governors [[Huey P. Long]] and [[Oscar K. Allen]], it is known locally in the Baton Rouge Area as "the old bridge".<ref name=whatis>"Paint Party". The Riverside Reader. [Port Allen, LA] October 1, 2012. Pg. 1. Print</ref>
-The '''Huey P. Long - O.K. Allen Bridge''' is a [[truss]] [[cantilever bridge]] over the [[Mississippi River]] carrying [[US 190]] ([[Airline Highway]]) and one [[Rail transport|rail]] line between [[East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana]] and [[West Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana]].
+It was the only bridge across the Mississippi in Baton Rouge from its opening until April 1968, when the [[Horace Wilkinson Bridge]] ("the new bridge") carrying [[Interstate 10 in Louisiana|Interstate 10]] opened. Until 2011, when the [[John James Audubon Bridge (Mississippi River)|John James Audubon Bridge]] opened between [[St. Francisville, Louisiana|St. Francisville]] and [[New Roads, Louisiana|New Roads]], it was the last bridge crossing the Mississippi before the [[Natchez-Vidalia Bridge]], almost 100 miles to the north.
-Although the bridge is named after former Louisiana governors [[Huey P. Long]] and [[Oscar K. Allen]], it is known locally in the Baton Rouge Area as "the old bridge".<ref name=whatis>"Paint Party". The Riverside Reader. [Port Allen, LA] 1 Oct. 2012. Pg. 1. Print</ref>  It is similar in design to the [[Huey P. Long Bridge (Jefferson Parish)|Huey P. Long Bridge]] in [[Jefferson Parish, Louisiana]].  Its lanes are very narrow and during inclement weather it has a tendency to ice over.  Only one person is reported to have driven off the edge of the bridge.  In 1945 a cargo truck driver headed eastbound careened off the sides.  The driver fell through the windshield and was crushed on a dock as he landed before his truck on the same spot.<ref name=whatis/> The scars from the accident can still be seen on the dock to one's right as approaching the east end of the eastbound span.
+==Design==
-The bridge itself is currently in a poor state of repair; the girder foundations on both railroad approach spans are beginning to show hairline cracks, but engineers have reassured the city that the bridge is not in any imminent danger.<ref name=whatis/>  The bridge has been repainted several times since its construction, including in the mid-1960s when the bridge was repainted orange. The bridge was originally painted blue, but dust from the [[Kaiser Aluminum]] plant on the southeast bank of the river kept coating the bridge with aluminum oxide ([[bauxite]]). Finally, the state gave up trying to keep the bridge blue, and went with the orange color of the dust.
+[[File:ENTRANCE TO THE KAISER ALUMINUM PLANT BENEATH THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER BRIDGE. BECAUSE OF CORROSIVE FUMES FROM NEARBY... - NARA - 546085.jpg|thumb|220px|left|The entrance to the [[Kaiser Aluminum]] plant under the bridge in 1972]]
-<ref>[http://southeastroads.com/us-190_la.html AA Roads - US Highway 190 Mississippi River Bridge]</ref>
+The bridge is similar in design to the [[Huey P. Long Bridge (Jefferson Parish)|Huey P. Long Bridge]] in [[Jefferson Parish, Louisiana]] (until the downstream bridge was widened to six lanes in 2013).  Its lanes are narrow and during cold weather, it has a tendency to ice over.
-<ref>[http://www.johnweeks.com/lower_mississippi/pages/lmiss11.html John Weeks.com - Huey P. Long Bridge]</ref>
+Due to the low height of the bridge, Baton Rouge is the furthest inland port on the Mississippi River that can accommodate ocean-going [[Tanker (ship)|tankers]] and [[Cargo ship|cargo carriers]]. The ships transfer their cargo (grain, oil, cars, containers) at Baton Rouge onto rails and pipelines (to travel east–west) or barges (to travel north). In addition, the river depth decreases significantly just to the north, near [[Port Hudson, Louisiana|Port Hudson]].<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.portgbr.com/content.php?display=about| archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060614144752/http://www.portgbr.com/content.php?display=about| archivedate=June 14, 2006| title= Port of Greater Baton Rouge| accessdate=April 26, 2008}}</ref>
-The bridge was once planned as part of an [[Interstate 410 (Louisiana 1955)|Interstate 410]].  The bridge is featured in a scene in the 1982 [[Richard Pryor]] film, [[The Toy (1982 film)|''The Toy'']].
+==State of repair==
+[[File:Huey P Long Bridge Baton Rouge northwest 1.jpg|thumb|220px|right|The bridge in 2006, viewed from the northwest. Here, the bridge still bears its 1960s orange paint.]]
+The bridge itself is currently in a poor state of repair; the girder foundations on both railroad approach spans are beginning to show hairline cracks, but engineers have assured the city that the bridge is not in any imminent danger.<ref name=whatis/>
+The bridge has been repainted several times since its construction, including in the mid-1960s when the bridge was repainted orange; this was done to match the color of dust being emitted by the [[Kaiser Aluminum]] plant on the southeast bank of the river, which continually coated the bridge with aluminum oxide ([[bauxite]]) dust.<ref>[http://southeastroads.com/us-190_la.html AA Roads - US Highway 190 Mississippi River Bridge] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070609145019/http://www.southeastroads.com/us-190_la.html |date=June 9, 2007 }}</ref><ref>[http://www.johnweeks.com/lower_mississippi/pages/lmiss11.html John Weeks.com - Huey P. Long Bridge]</ref> It was widened in 1989, and again repainted between 2014 and 2016 to its original color of light gray.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ask The Advocate: Questions about the U.S. 190 bridge |url=https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/article_05e493ac-58a4-57bc-8b25-c0620d8f56bb.html |website=The Advocate |date=July 6, 2015 |access-date=1 January 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Historic Bridge Management Plan for the Old Mississippi River (Huey P. Long) Bridge |url=http://www.dotd.la.gov/Inside_LaDOTD/Divisions/Engineering/HBI/Documents1/Management%20Plans%20for%20Historic%20Bridges/Individual%20Managment%20Plans%20for%20Preservation%20Priority%20Bridges/Group%202%20Management%20Plans/Mississippi%20River%20(Huey%20P.%20Long)%20Bridge%20160802A_051880.pdf |publisher=Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development |access-date=1 January 2022}}</ref>
+==Planned Interstate 410==
+The bridge was once planned as part of an [[Interstate 410 (Louisiana 1955)|Interstate 410]].
+==Accidents==
+Only one person is reported to have driven off the edge of the bridge. In 1945, a cargo truck driver headed eastbound careened off the sides. The driver fell through the windshield and was crushed on a dock as his truck landed on top of him.<ref name=whatis/> The scars from the accident can still be seen on the dock to one's right approaching the east end of the eastbound span.
+==In popular culture==
+The bridge is featured in a scene in the 1982 [[Richard Pryor]] film, [[The Toy (1982 film)|''The Toy'']].
 ==See also==
+* {{Portal-inline|Transport}}
-[[File:ENTRANCE TO THE KAISER ALUMINUM PLANT BENEATH THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER BRIDGE. BECAUSE OF CORROSIVE FUMES FROM NEARBY... - NARA - 546085.jpg|thumb|220px|left|The entrance to the [[Kaiser Aluminum]] plant under the bridge in 1972]]
+* {{Portal-inline|Engineering}}
-*[[List of crossings of the Lower Mississippi River]]
+* {{Portal-inline|United States}}
+* [[List of crossings of the Lower Mississippi River]]
+* [[Kaiser Aluminum]] plant
 ==References==
 {{reflist}}
+{{commons category}}
 {{Crossings navbox
@@ Line 50: / Line 68: @@
 |place           = [[Mississippi River]]
 |bridge          = Huey P. Long Bridge
-|bridge signs    = [[Image:US 190.svg|35px]]<br>''Kansas City Southern Railway''
+|bridge signs    = [[Image:US 190.svg|35px]]<br />''Canadian Pacific Kansas City''
 |upstream        = [[John James Audubon Bridge (Mississippi River)|John James Audubon Bridge]]
 |upstream signs  = [[Image:Louisiana 10.svg|30px]]
@@ Line 57: / Line 75: @@
 }}
-[[Category:Truss bridges]]
+[[Category:Truss bridges in the United States]]
 [[Category:Bridges over the Mississippi River]]
 [[Category:Bridges completed in 1940]]
@@ Line 63: / Line 81: @@
 [[Category:Road bridges in Louisiana]]
 [[Category:Railroad bridges in Louisiana]]
-[[Category:Bridges on the U.S. Highway System]]
+[[Category:Bridges of the United States Numbered Highway System]]
 [[Category:Great River Road]]
+[[Category:Cantilever bridges in the United States]]
+[[Category:Buildings and structures in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana]]
+[[Category:Buildings and structures in West Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana]]
+[[Category:Transportation in West Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana]]
+[[Category:Transportation in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana]]
+[[Category:1940 establishments in Louisiana]]