Site Navigation Alabama Florida Georgia Louisiana Mississippi North Carolina South Carolina Tennessee     U.S. Highway 190 Louisiana U.S. 190 travels the width of southern Louisiana between Merryville and Slidell. The eastern half of the highway parallels Interstate 12 closely through the Baton Rouge metropolitan area, Denham Springs, Hammond, Covington, Mandeville, and Slidell. West of Baton Rouge, U.S. 190 travels a four-lane divided highway west to Opelousas. U.S. 190 Highway Guides U.S. Highway 190 Eastbound U.S. Highway 190 Westbound Atchafalaya River Bridge The U.S. 190 Atchafalaya River steel truss bridges at Krotz Springs. Each bridge carries two lanes with full right-hand shoulders and narrow left-hand shoulders. The U.S. 190 spans are one of five Atchafalaya River crossings in southern Louisiana. The others are Louisiana 1 at Simmersport, Louisiana 10 at Mellville, Interstate 10 (The Atchafalaya Swamp Freeway), and a pair of spans at Morgan City (U.S. 90 and Louisiana 182). The U.S. 190 bridges opened in 1973 and have spans of 783 feet. Photos taken 10/13/03. Mississippi River Bridge U.S. 190 crosses high above the Mississippi River over the Mississippi River Bridge between Port Allen and the capital city of Baton Rouge. The combination bridge carries four narrow travel lanes and a single track of railroad. The bridge is similar in design to the U.S. 90 Huey P. Long Bridge over the Mississippi in Jefferson Parish. Before the span's completion, a ferry system shuttled travelers between West and East Baton Rouge Parishes across the river. The first ferry lease was granted on April 4, 1820. The idea for a bridge crossing the Mississippi River saw origins as early as 1913 in the form of plans for a railroad span. By 1931 preliminary plans and cost estimates for a combination road and railroad bridge were submitted to the U.S. War Department for permit. From there funding issues arose, delaying serious planning and construction of the bridge until 1936. Rumors speculated that Huey P. Long personally picked the location of the bridge and the planned height as a way to stymie ocean going vessels from traveling further north then Baton Rouge, thus adding to the city's appeal as a port town. Details released regarding the placement of the span on the day of dedication however indicate that the bridge location was chosen over the deepest waters of the Mississippi River four miles north of the city. The depth of the water here was sufficient enough to allow vessels traveling to and from the Standard Oil and Solvay Process docks. Waters further north toward Saint Francisville were laden with shoals that would not permit larger ocean going ships from navigating the river. Additionally it was stated that the lower vertical clearance resulted in a savings of $2.5 to 3 million based due to the need for shorter approaches. The bridge work order was placed on June 28, 1937. When finished, the cantilever-style bridge totalled 12,211 feet in length at a cost of $8,360,718.89. Three of the four piers extend to 180 feet in depth for an overall length of 415 feet.1 As for the bridge color, the orange color scheme of the span stems from the bauxite produced at the Kaiser Aluminum plant, located directly under the east approach. By the mid-1960s the remainder of the bridge was painted a similar color so that the bauxite would blend in with the entire bridge. The original railings of the combination bridge featured decorative cast-iron "fleur-de-lis". Over time these ornaments began to fall off and a more recent restoration saw the removal of the remaining pieces completely with a railing replacement. Nine workers lost their lives in construction of the bridge.1 U.S. 190 Business - Slidell U.S. 190 Business eastbound shield on Fremaux Avenue. This is the first sign posted along the four mile alignment. U.S. 190 Business travels over Interstate 10 to U.S. 190 (Military Road) along the Shortcut Highway south of the mainline U.S. 190 (Gause Boulevard). There are no signs alluding to Business U.S. 190 on the six block segment of U.S. 11 (Front Street) between Fremaux Avenue and Gause Boulevard. Photo taken 11/06/99. Scenes pertaining to U.S. 190 Traveling the Exit 266 off-ramp to U.S. 190 (Gause Boulevard) in Slidell. U.S. 190 constitutes a busy arterial through the city of Slidell. To the west of Interstate 10, the highway intersects U.S. 11 north of downtown. To the east, U.S. 190 merges with U.S. 190 Business (Shortcut Highway) en route to U.S. 90 near Pearlington, Mississippi. Photo taken 06/10/06. Viewing the westbound off-ramp of Interstate 10 to U.S. 190 (Gause Boulevard). U.S. 190 begins 7.8 miles to the east at U.S. 90 near the West Pearl River. To the west, U.S. 190 continues through Slidell 12 miles to Lacombe. Photo taken 06/10/06. Slidell guide sign posted at the end of the Interstate 10 west ramp to U.S. 190. Downtown Slidell lies 2.5 miles to the southwest where U.S. 11 and U.S. 190 Business meet. The area surrounding the Exit 266 interchange of Interstate 10 provides travel services for motorists along the freeway and shopping for Slidell. Photo taken 06/10/06. Sources: "The Old Bridge." The Advocate (Baton Rouge), January 18, 2004. "UP's Atchafalaya River Bridge in Louisiana Gets $10 Million Face Lift." Union Pacific Press Releases, January 18, 1999. Acadiana Trail Official Web Site. Page Updated July 9, 2006.