It was built during the year of the Dust Bowl and New Deal. The year when Babe Ruth hit his 714th home run and the Parker Brothers first released the Monopoly board game. That narrow, white-knuckle drive we call the Huey P. Long Bridge was completed in December 1935 -- more than 73 years ago.
Rich with historical significance, the Huey P. Long Bridge is undergoing a momentous change. And with change comes the opportunity to preserve the past.
The bridge widening project will widen the existing bridge from two 9-foot lanes to three 11-foot lanes with a 2-foot inside and 8-foot outside shoulder – a widening of about 25 feet in both the eastbound and westbound directions. The project will also improve the roadways leading up to the bridge – eliminating the West Bank traffic circle and traffic shift at Jefferson Highway and replacing both with signalized intersections. The Jefferson Highway overpass will also be eliminated and traffic will be diverted to ground level roadway. The exits and approaches of the bridge are also changing to allow traffic to move more smoothly.
The approaches have recently affected another piece of history – the New Orleans Public Belt Administration Building at the East Bank approach of the bridge. This structure served at various times as an office for elements of the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad, Mississippi River Bridge Authority Police (now called the Crescent City Connection Police), Causeway Police Huey P. Long Unit, Louisiana Department of Highways Project Engineer's office and State Police Troop B.
The Art Deco-style building dripping with local history was recently demolished to make way for the new bridge approaches. But before it was torn down, the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad removed all of the historical elements of the interior of the building. The cornerstone and unique façade of the building have been preserved with the help of a historian. These elements will be incorporated into the architecture of the new railroad building being constructed a few miles from the original.
While some things may change to make way for the innovations of the future, it’s nice to know the past isn’t always lost.
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