Bet a whole lot of people don't know where it's located. The two halves were connected today making it the longest suspension bridge in North America.

2.44 miles in length between St. Francisville Louisana and New Roads Louisiana across the Miss. River. (half way between Baton Rouge and Natchez replacing a ferry).


Audubon Bridge

Pic before it was connected.

Is this another one of those "bridges to no where" sponsored by Federal tax dollars?

And then there was a hurricane named Gus and poof it was gone!

Sorry Gus.

No it goes somewhere. It's basically a bypass of Baton Rouge to reduce I-10 traffic - which in the grand scheme of the interstate system necks down to exactly 1 lane coming off the I-10 Miss. River bridge in Baton Rouge - the only place from CA to FL where it goes to 1 lane. Ferries down here shut down a lot, fog, high water flooding etc....

Basically it's an area where a lot of people live on the west bank of the river and work on the east bank in the chemical plants, refineries, and the nuclear plant that's right near the bridge. If the ferry was out (as often up to 2-4 weeks) it was up to a 2 hour detour one way for work.

One of the stipulations when they built the nuke plant was that they had to have an exit across the river...it only took 30 years I guess.

This is the only thing the release says on money "The bridge is part of a Louisiana transportation program funded by gasoline and motor fuels taxes."

The last bridge LA built across the river - the Sunshine bridge was paid via a toll going one way. When the bridge was paid off the toll was removed eventually. Don't see that happen a lot either I'm guessing.

Looks a lot like the new bridge at Greenville, Ms. miles

At least you're getting a bridge.. The eco-weenies, Sierra Club et al, have basically sued the snot outta any chance we'll ever get a much-needed bridge across the St. Croix river to alleviate the hellacious traffic through Stillwater that goes across a bridge that can basically fall into the river at any time..

Azz-holes..

Until and unless the two states involved (MN and WI) join forces to countersue those dickheads out of existence the bridge will never get built..

The bridge across the Mississippi River at Helena, Arkansas was done that way. Used to cost a dollar to go across and then another to come back. Quit when the bridge was paid for. miles

Meanwhile, tolls to cross our 53 year old Mackinaw Bridge continue to go up, with increases scheduled at least 2 more times over the next few years to pay for the constant maintenance such as painting and maintaining the road surface.

Currently it cost $5 for a passenger vehicle to cross, each direction and much more than that for buses and big trucks.

When the "Mighty Mac" was first built there was a perpetual trust fund set up to pay for maintenace costs etc. This trust was later raided by administrations bent on off-setting deficits to the state's general fund. The latest effort was tried by the out going Gov. who wanted the fund to offset job losses in the auto industry and decreased funds etc from the economic disaster of 2008. I think her efforts were mostly thwarted but it could be part of the reason tolls keep rising, mismanagement by administrations who were sworn to protect it.

I hate that bottle neck in Baton Rogue. I would like to strangle the [bleep] that designed that. What a worthless prick he must have been.

It is actually 2 lanes and was that way for a while. However at least every 3 days an 18 wheeler would flip over onto the other lane because they took the ramp too fast coming off the bridge onto I-10. They necked it down to 1 lane to purposely slow the traffic down so the big trucks wouldn't turn over.

No but Sunshine bridge downstream from it was where the bridge to nowhere got it's name originally. It was built under the Jimmy Davis administration in Louisiana (the govenor who wrote and sang "You are my sunshine" - hence the name Sunshine bridge).

It was built and finished for years before it was connected to the approach on one side. Hence it became known as the bridge to nowhere.