Interstate 10 Westbound (Mississippi to New Orleans)
Interstate 10 west
Interstate 10 crosses over a narrow four-lane bridge across the Pearl River between Hancock County, Mississippi and St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana. Photo taken 06/10/06.
Welcome to Louisiana sign posted after the Pearl River span. The state line of Texas lies 274 miles ahead. Photo taken 06/10/06.
A rest area and the Louisiana Welcome Center lies just west of the West Pearl River crossing, pictured on the horizon here, at Slidell. Interstate 10 travels through the Pearl River Wildlife Management Area between the Pearl and West Pearl Rivers. Photo taken 06/10/06.
The first interchange in Louisiana along Interstate 10 joins the freeway with two other freeways, Interstate 12 west to Hammond and Interstate 59 north to Picayune, Mississippi. Photo taken 06/10/06.
Westbound at the Louisiana Welcome Center on the outskirts of Slidell. While Louisiana 1090 (Military Road) crosses over the freeway nearby, motorists must proceed to the next interchange of either Interstates 10, 12, or 59 to access the local roads of Slidell. Photo taken 06/10/06.
Crawford Landing Road parallels Interstate 10 closely between suburban development near the rest area and Louisiana 1090. Meanwhile on the freeway mainline, the one-mile guide sign advises motorists of the Exit 267A/B directional-cloverleaf interchange with Interstate 12 west and Interstate 59 north. Photo taken 06/10/06.
Interstate 10 westbound enters the joint termini interchange of Interstate 12 and 59. Traffic bound for Lafayette, Lake Charles, and Houston, Texas, are advised to take Interstate 12 north of Lake Pontchartrain and the New Orleans metropolitan area. The 85.59 mile Interstate terminates at Interstate 10 again in the capital city of Baton Rouge. Photo taken 06/10/06.
Westbound Interstate 10 at Exits 267A/B for Interstate 12/59. Traffic continuing on the mainline transitions to Interstate 12 westbound. Interstate 10 meanwhile turns southward to the left through Slidell. Exit 267A for Interstate 59 north departs in 0.25 miles to the right to Pearl River and Picayune, Mississippi. Photo taken 06/10/06.
A parting shot of the Exit 267A/B split for Interstate 12 west and Interstate 59 north. Interstate 12 continues west 22 miles to Mandeville and the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway and 45 miles to Hammond. Interstate 59 ventures northeast to Hattiesburg and Meridian, Mississippi, serving as the main route between Birmingham and New Orleans. Photo taken 06/10/06.
Advance guide signage for U.S. 190 (Gause Boulevard) and Exit 266 on Interstate 10 westbound at Slidell (pop. 25,695). Original U.S. 190 (Shortcut Highway) through Slidell followed the Business extension of the highway to the south. There is no access to Business U.S. 190
(Shortcut Highway) from Interstate 10. Photo taken 06/10/06.
Interstate 10 widens to six lanes from the Interstate 12/59 confluence southward to Lake Pontchartrain. Three interchanges serve the Slidell area, with the first joining the freeway with U.S. 190 (Gause Boulevard) east of the central business district. Slidell sustained significant damage from Hurricane Katrina, but has since bounced back as an economic center in an otherwise storm-ravaged region. The main commercial strips in town are U.S. 190 and U.S. 11 (Front Street). Photo taken 06/10/06.
Westbound at the EXit 266 diamond interchange with U.S. 190 (Gause Boulevard) within the city of Slidell. Gause Boulevard comprises the main east-west surface arterial for the city and it also represents the first travel services of consequence along Interstate 10 west since Gulfport (due to Hurricane Katrina). U.S. 190 follows Gause Boulevard west from Military Road (Louisiana 1090) through downtown to the western reaches of town. Photo taken 06/10/06.
1.25-mile guide sign for the Exit 263 (Louisiana 433) diamond interchange on Interstate 10 westbound. Louisiana 433 is a 14.86-mile route between U.S. 90 at the Rigolets and U.S. 190 west of Slidell. Locally the state highway serves a growing area along Rigolets Road to the east and Old Spanish Trail to the west. Photo taken 06/10/06.
Louisiana 433 (Old Spanish Trail) merges with U.S. 11 (Pontchartrain Drive) briefly to the west before departing the Slidell area for the communities of Bayou Liberty and Bontouca. Photo taken 06/10/06.
Exit 263 departs Interstate 10 westbound to Louisiana 433 (Old Spanish Trail). This exit serves south Slidell and the Rigolets area near Lake St. Catherine. The state highway travels part of the former U.S. 90 alignment between current U.S. 90 and U.S. 11 (Pontchartrain Drive). Photo taken 06/10/06.
The last Slidell and St. Tammany Parish interchange joins Interstate 10 with Oak Harbor Boulevard at Exit 261. Oak Harbor Boulevard serves the Eden Isles area to the east and Oak Harbor area to the west of the freeway. Photo taken 06/10/06.
One half mile north of the Exit 261 diamond interchange with Oak Harbor Boulevard. Oak Harbor Boulevard meanders southeast from U.S. 11 (Pontchartrain Drive) to Interstate 10 and the growing Eden Isles communities along the Lake Pontchartrain north shore. Photo taken 06/10/06.
Interstate 10 enters the Exit 261 interchange with Oak Harbor Boulevard. The exit sign itself at the ramp was blown over by Hurricane Katrina. Oak Harbor Boulevard connects the freeway with many canal-orientated subdivisions along the lake front. Photo taken 06/10/06.
Seven miles separates Slidell from Irish Bayou and the southern shores of Lake Pontchartrain via Interstate 10. The freeway crosses the eastern reaches of the lake along a pair of two-lane concrete viaducts. Damaged to the bridges as a result of Hurricane Katrina closed Interstate 10 fully between August 29, 2005 and October 14, 2005. Four-lanes capacity returned on January 5, 2006. See the Hurricane Katrina Road Information page for more details on the bridge replacement project. Photo taken 06/10/06.
A pair of temporary metal truss spans are used along Interstate 10 westbound where the concrete deck portions toppled by Hurricane Katrina were damaged beyond repair. Similar metal spans are used along Interstate 10 over Escambia Bay in Pensacola, Florida, but those only support one lane of travel while the Louisiana sections provide for two lanes. Photo taken 06/10/06.
Cresting over the Lake Pontchartrain navigation channel along Interstate 10 westbound. The lake itself is fairly shallow at an average depth of 12 to 14 feet. Photo taken 06/10/06.
The only guide sign left in place by Hurricane Katrina for Exit 254 (U.S. 11) is the two-mile entry along the Lake Pontchartrain bridge westbound. U.S. 11 crosses Lake Pontchartrain along its own two-lane span to the west. Known as the 5-Mile Bridge, the bridge includes two draw spans at the Pontchartrain navigation channels. Interstate 10 and U.S. 11 cross paths at Point aux Herbes and the community of Irish Bayou. Photo taken 06/10/06.
The second temporary truss span exists near the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain at Irish Bayou. Strong northwesterly winds fueled a storm surge that toppled many of the westbound bridge slabs during Hurricane Katrina. The eastbound span suffered less damage and needed no temporary spans. Speed limits overall on the bridges remain at 60 mph with 45 mph zones at the narrower metal decked sections. Photo taken 06/10/06.
Temporary concrete barriers block off the original guard rail along the western side of Interstate 10 for the most part with the exception of the Irish Bayou bridge approach. Exit 254 to U.S. 11 leaves the freeway at the foot of the bridge. The junction between the two highways is a four-ramp partial cloverleaf interchange. Photo taken 06/10/06.
Katrina's winds claimed the U.S. 11 guide sign at the Exit 254 ramp departure. U.S. 11 heads 5.75 miles south to its conclusion with junction U.S. 90 at Powers Junction. The federal highway provides a direct route to U.S. 90 (Chef Menteur Highway) for Venetian Isles and Chef Menteur. Photo taken 06/10/06.
The next exit along Interstate 10 westbound serves Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge in northeastern New Orleans. The refuge represents the largest such preserve within an urban area in the United States and was established in 1990. Photo taken 06/10/06.
Approaching the Exit 251 diamond interchange for the Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge. An attractions sign for the interchange advertised for an alligator park and swamp tours, however those operations ceased after the landfall of Hurricane Katrina. Photo taken 06/10/06.
The only sign indicating Exit 251 is posted at the gore point along Interstate 10 west. The ramps connect to an overpass and the nearby parking area and nothing more. This interchange was closed until 1999. Photo taken 06/10/06.
The few remaining call box assemblies left over from Hurricane Katrina were converted to Interstate 10 reassurance assemblies. Photo taken 06/10/06.
The second of two interchanges within the Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Area on Interstate 10 westbound is the abandoned Exit 250 diamond interchange. Overgrown with vegetation, concrete barricades prevent motorists from using the ramps to the overpass. Both interchanges were likely built in anticipation of urban growth during the 1960s and 70s. Photos taken 06/10/06.
The first interchange of Interstate 10 to serve the street grid of New Orleans is that of Exit 248 with Michoud Boulevard. The damage to the Michoud, New Orleans East, and Lake Forest communities of New Orleans was extensive and many homes and businesses remained abandoned or heavily damaged as of Summer 2006. Attached to the abandoned Exit 250 overpass is the one-mile guide sign for Exit 250. Photo taken 06/10/06.
Three lanes of Interstate 10 westbound leave the wildlife refuge and approach the Exit 248 off-ramp to Michoud Boulevard. The north-south highway begins at the upcoming diamond interchange and from there travels southward to Lake Forest Boulevard, U.S. 90 (Chef Menteur Highway), and Old Gentilly Road (at the NASA Michoud Facility). Photo taken 06/10/06.
Interstate 10 westbound at the Exit 248 ramp departure to Michoud Boulevard south. Michoud Boulevard travels south from Lake Marseille and the Villages of Oak Island to Lake Forest Boulevard near the abandoned Six Flags New Orleans theme park. Photo taken 06/10/06.
Next in line for westbound travelers is the Exit 246A/B stack interchange with Interstate 510 south and Louisiana 47 (Paris Road). Trees along the Interstate 10 frontage and within the median were raked with winds from a category three hurricane. Many of them were destroyed or killed in the process, leaving Interstate 10 with a apocalyptic landscape through New Orleans East. Photo taken 06/10/06.
Three-quarter mile sign bridge of Exit 246 (Interstate 510 south & Louisiana 47). The 3.16 mile interstate of Interstate 510 is cosigned with Louisiana 47 from the Intracoastal Waterway bridge northward to Interstate 10. Interstate 510 was constructed during the 1980s to replace Louisiana 47 (Paris Road) between St. Bernard Parish and Interstate 10. Vestiges of former Louisiana 47 (Paris Road) still travel alongside the freeway as frontage roads. Photo taken 06/10/06.
Interstate 10 westbound draws to within one half mile of the Interstate 510 & Louisiana 47 (Paris Road) off-ramps. To the left is what's left of a sign for the Six Flags New Orleans theme park. The park was submerged in flood waters for weeks and the amount of damage to its sewer systems and electrical equipment was severe. Therefore the park remains closed as of June 2006 and may never be reopened due to overwhelming costs associated with repairs and remarketing the park. Interstate 510 otherwise serves the NASA Michoud Assembly Facility on Old Gentilly Road and Chalmette via the continuation of Louisiana 47 (Paris Road) south in St. Bernard Parish. Photo taken 06/10/06.
The southbound beginning of Interstate 510 departs Interstate 10 westbound at Exit 246. Louisiana 47 (Paris Road) continues northward from Exit 246B/A as a surface highway to Hayne Boulevard along the shoreline of Lake Pontchartrain. The state highway takes Hayne Boulevard west through New Orleans East to Downman Road. Photo taken 06/10/06.
Traffic to Interstate 510 & Louisiana 47 south to Chalmette and Louisiana 47 north to Little Woods departs Interstate 10 west in unison. Southbound drivers utilize a high flyover to the freeway south ahead of its interchange with Lake Forest Boulevard. Exit 246B north merges with Louisiana 47 (Paris Road) ahead of the Interstate 10 frontage road and Morrison Road. Photo taken 06/10/06.
