Huey P. Long Bridge

The Huey P. Long Bridge was built in 1935 and carries US-190 and one rail of the Kansas City Southern Railroad over the Mississippi River. It is commonly referred to as the Old Bridge, with the Horace Wilkinson Bridge being the New Bridge. The main section of this bridge features a five-span continuous and cantilevered Warren through truss. The total length of the highway approaches and main span is 5,879 feet, whereas the rail line has a total elevated length of 12,313 feet, which is about 2.3 miles long.

This bridge has a low vertical clearance, which prohibits ocean-going tankers and cargo carriers from continuing up the river. The river depth also decreases to the north of the bridge due to a rock shelf, so raising the bridge would not allow these ships to travel much further. Therefore, the cargo is unloaded in Baton Rouge, and is transferred onto rail, pipelines, or barges.

There are rumors that Jasper Conrad Brown, one of the workers constructing the bridge, was buried within one of the concrete foundations. Although this was never proven, he did fall in the water near where piling 13 was being poured, and his body was never recovered. Brown’s mother made frequent trips to the bridge to lay flowers, and in the 1950’s, this prompted the State to erect a plaque honoring the nine men who were killed during the construction of the bridge. The plaque was attached to a Department of Highways building on the east side of the Old Bridge. This building was later abandoned, and the plaque was removed. It is believed that it is in possession of the son of one of the deceased workers.

While all twelve of the Mississippi River bridges in Louisiana use caissons, this bridge is notable due to its use of circular caissons (most are rectangular). These circular caissons utilized a new and patented “sand island” method of caisson design. This method consists of constructing a large island of sand enclosed in a steel shell at the site of each pier. the caisson is then constructed on this sand island, completely above water. As new sections are completed, the caisson is sunk by open dredging through the sand and into the riverbed.

The bridge was rehabilitated from 1986 to 1987. This project included widening the highway portion of the bridge to provide a 24-foot clear width in each direction. The project also replaced the expansion joints, extended and stiffened the floorbeams, and strengthening the cantilever brackets that support the truss span roadways. The bridge was rehabilitated again from 2012 to 2016. This project included repairing, cleaning, and paining the steel components. However, the superstructure is still rated as “Serious Condition”.

There are actually two Huey P. Long Bridge’s in Louisiana. The other bridge is a 1935 Baltimore Through Truss bridge which carries US-90 and New Orleans Public Belt Railroad over the Mississippi River in New Orleans. Both bridges are names after the former Louisiana Governor.