Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, Twin road bridge in Louisiana, United States.
The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway consists of two parallel spans running 24 miles (38 km) across the lake, resting on thousands of reinforced concrete supports. Movable sections located about 8 miles (13 km) from the northern shore allow boats to pass and briefly interrupt the continuous roadway.
Planning started in the late 1940s after Louisiana legislators created a dedicated commission to oversee the project. The first two-lane span opened in 1956, followed by the second roadway in 1969.
The structure links two regions once separated by open water, making daily crossings between the shores a routine part of life. Drivers today experience a straight journey with the lake spreading out on both sides toward the horizon.
The toll is collected only on the North Shore, at the Mandeville end, for southbound traffic; northbound crossings are free. The two spans run one-way, with southbound traffic on the older western bridge and northbound traffic on the eastern one. Seven crossovers allow drivers to switch spans in an emergency.
The bascule bridge over the navigation channel sits about 8 miles (13 km) south of the north shore, and the two spans are joined by seven crossovers that let drivers switch bridges in an emergency. The older span carries southbound traffic, the newer one northbound.
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