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Louisiana Through My Lens - John James Audubon Bridge Over The Mississippi River Between New Roads and St Francisville


 Anyone who has ever traveled south on Louisiana Highway 1 towards Baton Rouge has undoubtedly traveled over the modern engineering marvel known as the John James Audubon Bridge that spans the Mississippi River between the towns of New Roads and St Francisville. For decades the only way to travel between the two towns was by ferry boat and the nearest actual bridge crossing was via the Huey P Long Bridge in Baton Rouge several miles to the south. The Jon James Audubon Bridge cost far more and took many years more than expected and has received a fair amount of criticism for everything from it's location to it's name over the years. Despite all that the bridge is truly a stunning object to behold, a true engineering marvel. Every time I travel over it I'm in awe. There is nothing like it anywhere in Louisiana.


History:

The John James Audubon Bridge, completed and opened in May 2011, is a Lower Mississippi River crossing between Pointe Coupee and West Feliciana parishes in south central Louisiana. The bridge has the second longest cable-stayed span (distance between towers) in the Western Hemisphere at 1,583 ft (482 m), after Mexico's Baluarte Bridge with a 1,706 ft (520 m) span, and has a total length of 12,883 ft (3,927 m)—nearly three-and-a-half times longer than the Baluarte Bridge's 3,688 ft (1,124 m) total length. The Audubon Bridge replaces the ferry between the communities of New Roads and St. Francisville. The bridge also serves as the only bridge structure on the Mississippi River between Natchez, Mississippi and Baton Rouge, Louisiana (approximately 90 river miles). The bridge conveys Louisiana Highway 10, which is in a concurrence there with the Zachary Taylor Parkway.

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