Fort Pike Bridge

Fort Pike Bridge
Bridge seen from Fort Pike, 2010
Coordinates30°10′21.8″N 89°43′56.9″W / 30.172722°N 89.732472°W / 30.172722; -89.732472
Carries2 lanes of US 90
CrossesRigolets
LocaleNew Orleans and Slidell (Louisiana)
Other name(s)Rigolets Bridge
Characteristics
DesignThrough truss swing bridge (old), box girder bridge (new)
Total length3,877.9 feet (1,182 m)
Width20 feet (6 m) (old), 40 feet (12 m)
Longest span399.8 feet (122 m)
Clearance below14.9 feet (5 m)(old), 72 feet (22 m) (new)
History
OpenedJune 9, 1930 (old)
January 15, 2008 (new)
Location
Map

The Fort Pike Bridge (also known as the Rigolets Bridge), named after nearby Fort Pike, carries U.S. Route 90 across the Rigolets on the eastern side of Lake Pontchartrain between New Orleans and Slidell in Louisiana. It is owned and operated by Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development[1] The bridge opened on June 9, 1930, and along with the Chef Menteur Bridge provided a free route between New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast. This was the site of Jayne Mansfield's death in June 1967.[2] A new span was constructed just to the north of the old span.

Old Rigolets Bridge seen from Fort Pike, 2003
  1. ^ "Fort Pike/Rigolets Bridge". bridgehunter.com. Retrieved 2015-07-09.
  2. ^ "The Night Jayne Mansfield Died, June 29, 1967". Bob Walker's New Orleans Radio Site. Archived from the original on February 17, 2007. Retrieved December 13, 2006.