Why doesn't Louisiana have more Mississippi River bridges? Curious Louisiana investigates. (2024)

A reader asked, "How many bridges cross the Mississippi River in Louisiana?"

Rodney Mallett, communications director for Louisiana's Department of Transportation and Development, confirms that the list of Mississippi River bridges in Louisiana, from north to south, including those that cross into Louisiana from Mississippi, is:

• The Old Vicksburg Bridge, former U.S. 80, completed in 1930
• Vicksburg Bridge, I-20/U.S. 80, built in 1973
• Natchez-Vidalia Bridge, U.S. 84/U.S. 425, originally built in 1940, rebuilt in 1988
• John James Audubon Bridge in St. Francisville and New Roads, La. 10, completed in 2011
• Huey P. Long Bridge (Baton Rouge and Port Allen), U.S. 190, completed in 1940
• Horace Wilkinson Bridge (Baton Rogue and Port Allen), I-10, completed in 1968
• Sunshine Bridge (Donaldsonville and Sorrento), La. 70, completed in 1964
• Gramercy Bridge (Wallace and Gramercy), La. 3213, completed in 1995
• Hale Boggs Memorial Bridge (Destrehan and Luling), I-310, completed in 1983
• Huey P. Long Bridge (Harahan and Bridge City), U.S. 90, originally built in 1935 and rebuilt in 2013
• Crescent City Connection (New Orleans), U.S. 90 Business, originally built in 1958 and rebuilt in 1988

Five ferries cross the Mississippi River in Louisiana, but only one of them is run by the DOTD.

Mississippi River ferries in Louisiana include: the Plaquemine Ferry (Sunshine and Plaquemine), the Canal Street Ferry (New Orleans), the Chalmette-Lower Algiers Ferry (Chalmette and New Orleans), the Belle Chasse-Scarsdale Ferry (Scarsdale and Belle Chasse) and thePointe à la Hache Ferry (Pointe à la Hache and West Pointe à la Hache).

"Theonly ferries that the DOTD runs is the Plaquemine Ferry," Mallett said. "The rest are private."

As Mallett talks about bridges and ferries, the inevitable question of new bridges bubbled to the surface.

"People compare Louisiana's part of the Mississippi to other cities," Mallett said.

Relatively speaking, Mallett said that building a bridge, say in Baton Rouge, is quite an undertaking because of the span of the river, compared to a bridge that crosses the Mississippi further upstream.

For example, the Mark Twain Memorial Bridge in Hannibal, Missouri, is at its longest span 640 feet long — compared to the Horace Wilkinson Bridge in Baton Rouge at14,150 feet long and the Huey P. Long Bridge in New Orleans at22,995 feet long.

Gov. Jeff Landry has said a new, long-awaited Mississippi River bridge in Baton Rouge is a priority. On Dec. 11, consultants hired by the Department of Transportation and Development said anew bridge in the Baton Rouge area would save an estimated 1 million hours of travel time a year.

"To build a bridge across that river here in Baton Rouge is an undertaking," Mallett said. "Plus, there are other factors — compliance with the Coast Guard, the Corps of Engineers and the bridge has to be environmentally approved."

Mallett says the price tag for the Audubon in St. Francisville/New Roads was lower — not only because it was completed in 2011, but because the span of the river is less there, compared to further downstream.

"The length of the Audubon Bridge from elevation to elevation, end point to end point, is about 12,800 feet," Mallett said.

Mallett says the new bridge being considered in Baton Rouge has the potential to be longer and will be significantly higher because of the Maritime traffic that comes up the Mississippi to the Port of Baton Rouge.

"Those big sea-faring ships can’t get past the US 190 Huey P. Long bridge because of its height," Mallett said.

As for will we see another new bridge in our lifetime, Mallett says the DOTD is working on it.

"However, there are many factors involved and one of those will be funding," Mallett said. "This bridge will likely rely on tolls."

Regarding potential tolls to help pay for the behemoth undertaking of building a bridge across the Father of Waters, Mallett says there are further considerations.

"You have to look at a lot of information when you're looking at tolls. How long will it take to get your money back? How much is a feasible toll? Will enough cars need to cross this bridge?" he said.

For now, including bridges connecting to and from Mississippi, there are 11 bridges across the Mississippi in Louisiana — and eight bridges crossing the river in Louisiana alone.