Almonaster Avenue Bridge, Railway and road bascule bridge in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Almonaster Avenue Bridge is a bascule bridge crossing the Industrial Canal that carries both vehicle traffic and railroad lines. The structure connects two neighborhoods while handling the dual demands of road and rail transportation.
The bridge was built in 1919 as one of the first four structures constructed by the Port of New Orleans across the Industrial Canal. It marked an early effort to improve railroad connections in the area.
The bridge formed part of the Old Spanish Trail, which served as the primary eastern exit route from New Orleans in the early 1900s.
The bridge typically stays in the raised position and only lowers for rail traffic, which affects vehicle crossing patterns. Visitors should understand that this operational mode has been the standard since Hurricane Katrina.
The bridge spans approximately 25 meters horizontally and provides unlimited vertical clearance for large vessels when fully retracted. This impressive capacity allows even sizeable ships to navigate beneath it.
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