Calcasieu River Bridge

I-10 Calcasieu River Bridge
Coordinates	30°14′14″N 93°14′45″W / 30.2371°N 93.2458°W / 30.2371; -93.2458
Carries	I-10 and US 90
Crosses	Calcasieu River
Locale	Between Lake Charles, Louisiana and Westlake, Louisiana
Other name(s)	I-10 bridge
Maintained by	Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development
ID number	071004509127691
Characteristics
Design	Through truss
Total length	6,605.1 feet (2,013.2 m)
Width	52.4 feet (16.0 m)
Longest span	420.8 feet (128.3 m)
History
Designer	N.E. Lant
Opened	1952
Statistics
Toll	Free both ways

The Calcasieu River Bridge, or the Pistol bridge officially named the Louisiana Memorial World War II Bridge in June 1951^[1] is an arched cantilever, rivet-connected Warren through truss (main span)^[2] located on Interstate 10 between Lake Charles, Louisiana, and Westlake, Louisiana. It was the only major bridge in Lake Charles, until the construction of the Lake Charles Loop with the I-210 Calcasieu River High Bridge began in 1962, with an average annual daily traffic (2009) of 51,800. The bridge has a vertical clearance of 135 feet (41 m). It was built under the administration of Gov. Earl K. Long and opened in 1952. It has decorative iron work with crossed guns integrated into the railings. The I-10 Bridge was originally built as the U.S. Hwy 90 bridge and later was grandfathered into Interstate 10.

The bridge has been rated structurally deficient by the Department of Transportation but was declared safe by the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD). There are plans to replace the bridge and improve the Westlake exit.^[3]