Britain's Bridges Ain't Got Nothing on America 

Louisiana is only marginally not ocean, so it's not surprising that they have so many long bridges.

Laurence has met his greatest foe: French inspired names.

Fun tip. A couple of smart people built some gas stations at either end of the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway. Not really for fuel, but for the restrooms. That bridge is miles and miles of "Thump-Thump, Thump-Thump. I have yet to cross it without the women in the car with me needing to desperately use a restroom by the time we reach the other side. :)

As a Louisiana native, not a bit surprised we have so many of the "longest bridges" in my state. We have a lot of water, and a lot of bridges

The Lake Pontchartrain bridge can be a beast when there is a storm raging in off the Gulf its awesome.

The attempt at pronouncing “bayou” was extremely british. So british, in fact, that I started wanting a piece of plain bread

Fun Fact: The reason the Hampton Rhodes area of Virginia has so many Bridge-Tunnels is because the largest naval base in the world, Norfolk Naval Base is located in the area, as well as the shipyard that builds nuclear aircraft carriers and the U.S. government was worried that the Soviets could box in half the U.S. Navy by blowing those bridges up and blocking navigation out of the area for months.

I remember when my husband took me across Lake Pontchartrain bridge. I was shocked at how long it was. Plus it was all across water. In Arizona where I live, our bridges are over canyons.

I just remember my folks driving over a huge "swamp bridge" at night with the rest of us trying to sleep. The 6 inch dragon fly we scraped off the front next day confirmed we were truly in a swamp!

The Lake Ponchartrain Causeway is the world's longest continuous bridge, indeed; all longer bridges include man-made islands or tunnel sections.

Louisiana is one giant swamp. I was sad Seven Mile Bridge in the Florida Keys didn’t break top 8, that’s an amazing drive.

He just casually throws in the #1 entry proof that the world isn't flat. Very cool.

Representing Louisiana, My home state. Travelled all the bridges until hurricane Katrina. I know I'm home when I can smell the swamp air. 😊😊😊😊

Lake Pontchartrain (pronounced Pon•tcha•train) is a sight. It has like a dozen bridges on it and all of them are massive. The longest bridge is so long at one point you can’t see any land, but you can see other bridges. The reason there are so many bridges is because A: it connects the other side of the lake to New Orleans. And B: during Hurricane Katrina most of the bridges were shut down so lots of people couldn’t even make past Lake Pontchartrain.

Growing up in Houston, my father was a professor, and he had a symposium in Florida he needed to attend every year. The college was generous with his travel allowance, so instead of a first class plane ticket and swanky convention accomodations, all four of the family would drive our travel van and stay further down the beach in a hotel with a kitchenette, made it a yearly spring vacation. One year we got behind and left late the first day, so my father tried to avoid stopping to make up time. I don't know which of those bridges it was, likely the interstate, where we ran out of gas not quite halfway through. My father had to hitchhike to the end where there was a service station, get gas, hitchhike all the way back to the other end, and then he walked the last leg, five or ten miles, because it was getting dark and he couldn't get a ride. Meanwhile, at the van, I had had to urinate, and discovered the joys of peeing off the side onto alligators' heads about fifteen feet below. After that I sacrificed my lunch and tossed little pieces of fried chicken into the water until I had a roiling mass of alligators below, clacking and hissing, and my mom made me get back in the van.

As I live in what is lovingly referred to as Lower Slower Delaware, I have crossed the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel many, many times to and from Williamsburg, VA. I have crossed it in lovely daytime weather, dark nights, foggy weather and yes even bad storms. But the worst is when it's so windy, they refuse to allow 18 wheelers and other high profile vehicle cross. And yes I have drove across it during such weather and will do it again if necessary. I absolutely LOVE this bridge!

I have traversed most of the bridges and passed under most of them as well. I was in the U.S. Coast Guard for 12 years and with the exception of Michigan was stationed in each of these states.

Pronunciation of places in Louisiana are best said with a slight French, Joual, Acadian or Cajun accent.

With all of the bridges and their expansion joints between the concrete slabs, Interstate 10 across Louisiana is known as "The World's Longest Vibrator" by Truckers.

As a former resident of the Baton Rouge area, I was laughing at the fumbled attempts at pronunciation.

I'm sorry, but I gotta say it... Your "longest British bridge" looks more like an elevated freeway to me. How long is the longest British bridge that actually looks like a bridge?

Ah the Lake Pontchartrain bridge, or as most everyone locally calls it, The Causeway. Pay the toll to go south (Mandeville to Metairie), but no toll going northbound. Bonnet Carre, (pronounced The Bonnie Carrie, or just The Spillway). Throw in the I-55 bridge that runs south from Ponchatoula to LaPlace, and you will spend most of the drive going to Orleans Parish over water. Unless your flying in, there's really no way to get to New Orleans without crossing a bridge. Thank you for pronouncing Atchafalaya correctly, although Lafayette is usually sounded out as Laffy-ette. Manchac is pronounced Man-shack.

The Seven Mile Bridge is a bridge in the Florida Keys, in Monroe County, Florida, United States. It connects Knight's Key in the Middle Keys to Little Duck Key in the Lower Keys. Wikipedia Total length: 35,720′ across open ocean for crying out loud!

My favorite bridge is the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel connecting the Eastern Shore of Virginia to the Virginia Beach/Hampton Roads area! So many memories crossing that bridge every year visiting family and friends! 🥰💕

I've crossed Pontchartrain, the Atchafalaya Basin, and the Chesapeake bridge-tunnel system. As for nearly all the bridge-tunnel systems in the world being in Virginia, well, that's what happens when you have enormous naval installations that need to get enormous ships in and out regularly. Virginia and the Navy found something that works, and they've stuck with it.

CBBT....the only tunnel Hampton Roads kids don't even attempt to hold their breath through 🤣

Shoutout to my home state of Louisiana for building some badass bridges.

You almost had me with your mispronunciation of the big Mac here in Michigan. You redeemed yourself. Lol

Oh yeah I'm from South Louisiana. Eventually you don't even think about how long they are.

I’ve not only travelled the Lake Pontchartrain bridge I have commuted on it the last 22 years, 5 days a week. I figured it out last month, that I have spent 2.1 years of my life crossing that bridge! It can be bed in morning in January to March when fog is deeply thick the whole way. Causeway police vehicles will escort convoys across at a painful 30 to 40 mph. It gets shut down in high winds and with severe storms...unless you are already on it. In general though it’s not a bad drive at sunset or dawn, and pelicans will glide alongside for hours drafting on the air currents created by vehicles. Thanks for the list!

What about the 7 Mile ( 11.25 Km ) longest single bridge in the Florida Keys? The keys are a series of small Islands that go from Miami to Key West all connected by bridges for a total of 169 Miles (256 Km) All together.

My father was one of the engineers on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. He actually was the first to drive across it when there were still wooden planks to drive on. I live 10 minutes from the famous bridge and it is a little daunting to cross especially if it's windy, which it is a lot of the time. You can't cross it if the winds are too high.

As an honorable mention, you should have mentioned the General W.K. Wilson Jr. Bridge in Mobile, Alabama, also known as the Dolly Parton Bridge. look it up to see why.

Over 2o years ago as I'm approaching the toll of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel with my car with a broken fuel gauge I'm thinking I've got about 15 miles fuel left. Me, "About how lo g is this bridge?" Toll operator, "About 17 miles." I made it but got off at the first exit for fuel. I filled up before I made the return trip.

What a great video! Not everyone can appreciate America's infrastructure. I was on the Chesapeake Bay bridge/tunnel years ago. Out in the middle there is a restaurant, bait shop, and a long fishing pier. The talk was that large ocean vessels often hit the bridge in rough weather, causing closures for repairs. I hope you get to see it, on a nice, calm day of course!

Somehow, the connotation of a "spillway bridge" is so unsettling.

I live in New Orleans, but I didn't realize that so many bridges around here would be at the top of your list. I have been across the Atchafalaya bridge on I-10, the Bonnet Carre causeway on I-10, the Manchac Swamp causeway on I-55, the Lake Pontchartrain causeway (not on the interstate system), and the Mobile Bayway also on I-10. And, while on a family vacation when I was a child, my dad insisted that we cross the Chesapeake Bay bridge/tunnel . . . and, then immediately recross it to get back to our hotel (that's an hour and a half of my life I'll never get back). I haven't had the pleasure of the Bayou Lafourche bridge or the California bridge. Six of eight.

Here in America your “bromford viaduct” looks like an average highway rather than a bridge

I once traveled all the southern bridges in one day. Long story short Hurricane Ivan was a b***h. A 7-hour drive turned into 16 really fast. We got stuck on the Casway for 4 hours.

The Mackinac bridge is the largest “Suspension bridge” in America. Right around 5 miles (26,372 feet ) For 5 years straight I travelled to the bridge on Labor Day to walk on the bridge. (The only day it’s aloud). A friend once asked me how far off the water is it....... let’s just say you have no chance of doing a “PETER PAN” off of this bridge and tell the tale. Your odds are better going over Niagara Falls in a barrel! Still, it’s nowhere as long as these monstrosities in Louisiana and look forward to traveling on them...... one of these days after... Covid..

Britain has the Chunnel, quite a piece of engineering!

I have crossed three of the Louisiana bridges within the past month. The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, I cross every single day. That bridge has its very own police department which patrols it continuously. It also has video cameras in high poles from which the police can zoom in on any point on the bridge to pinpoint traffic accidents or other problems. More trivia: the first (now southbound) span opened in 1956, with a $1.00 toll, each way, for cars. It cost $46 million, and was built in under two years. The second (northbound) span opened in 1969. Here is a Modern Marvels episode about it: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-waJrzzTWJ1A.html

I have driven the bridge tunnel that connects Maryland and Virginia. It was a stunning drive and a miracle of engineering.

Baton Rouge boy here (and former employee of the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development) . I have crossed every bridge mentioned (and not just the ones in Louisiana).

The 7 mile bridge in the Florida Keys doesn’t even make the list? Wow.

Remember that Louisana bridges have alligators under them.

I’ve been on 7of the 8. Haven’t crossed the lake bridge yet. I’ve lived in all of those states minus Louisiana, but I’ve driven from Mobile AL to CA 3 times.

We don't mess around when it comes to bridges down here in Louisiana.

Building a bridge over a Louisiana swamp ain't easy the piles for the Manchac Swamp go 250 feet (76 m) deep

I always loved it when I would go over the bay-bridge tunnel as a kid. We would stop on the island and watch all the giant battle ships and cargo ships go by

Hey! i actually crossed 3 of those bridges on my trip from Philadelphia to San Antonio (wife was relocated due to military orders) and that drive took 3 days to do. I believe it was 1730 miles in total but it was really cool seeing the landscapes change each day. Driving over the swamps in Louisiana was actually really cool.

I really appreciate all the work you do on giving us history most of us in the USA never knew. What a delight to learn all this information from you. Thank you

I'll never forget riding across the Lake Pontchartrain bridge as a kid. It started as a two-lane bridge but they were in the process of changing to two bridges, one going each way. We got to the halfway point and there was a sign saying "detour ahead". WTF!? In the middle you can't see anything but water in all directions. Dad said, "Hope you kids can all swim!" 😢😢😢

I’ve been on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge in MD and I absolutely hated every second of it.

I used to cross the CBBT 4-6 times a year. It's a cool bridge with a nice view. It used to be a single road deck with just one lane in each direction. It was later expanded to 2 decks with 2 lanes; only, they left the tunnels the same so the road ways merge down to one lane in either direction at the tunnels. Weird yes, but traffic is usually not heavy enough to cause issues. It costs you $16 for the pleasure of crossing it.

I have traveled over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel many time throughout my life. As a kid I would get so excited when we left the banks of Virginia Beach and traveled to what seemed to be 17 and a half miles of nowhere just to finally see land again on the Cape Charles side of eastern shore Virginia. I believe it cost $12 one way to cross now. Still a pretty cool ride.

Louisiana still maintains its historical French roots, so if in doubt about pronunciation, think French. Wonder how the US compares with tallest bridges? I know we have some scary ones. I watched a show about a bridge in the north east that is so scary to some commuters, that businesses make money driving people and their cars across for them. Not a bridge, but in DFW they have a high tiered interchange that will occasionally catch someone unprepared, and a tourist will come to a panic stop and they and their vehicle will have to be rescued. 😂

Going from Houston to Orlando (Disney World) it seemed Louisiana was almost one bridge.

The Chesapeake Bay bridge tunnel is an absolute pain in the ass. While it's in bridge mode, it's four lanes, with two in each direction, on two separate bridges. When you're in the tunnels, however, it drops to only two lanes. You're quite literally in a cement tube, under the ocean, with opposing traffic whizzing by you, having nothing but painted lines separating the lanes.

I’ve been on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge a few times, it’s quite a view on a clear sunny day but it is not fun when it’s windy.

yes we have a lot of water here in Louisiana and just a swamp or two LOL

Jeff Bridges pun earns an automatic like

I've always loved the Louisiana bridge highway system. You can get a little bored on them and risk drifting off to sleep, or into the walls, but in light traffic at high speeds they can be a bit of fun, too. My favorite: Lake Ponchartrain of course. My auntie's cooking's on the other side!

I just had to pause the video to say that I absolutely lost it at the Jeff Bridges joke. It's such a dumb joke, but I love it and it's delivery so much I'm not ashamed to say it.

Gee, when i lived in New Orleans there was no toll on the Causeway either direction. As I understand, Lake Pontchartrain has an average depth of only 10 ft......pretty shocking. My favorite bridge was over the Henderson swamp. Beautiful in the winter when the cypress trees were burnt orange.

When Florida gets snubbed by 1 meter

Nearly the whole state of Louisiana is below sea level. That’s why they have so many long bridges. And if you want to talk about scary bridges check out the Huey P. Long bridge in New Orleans.

I absolutely love the Causeway bridge. Especially a half an hour before sunset, it's such an amazing experience. Highly recommend.

With so much water sometimes we Americans have just got to try out our engineering skills at crossing said water.

I’ve traveled on every one of the Louisiana bridges but none of the others. Funny because I’ve only stayed in Louisiana once (New Orleans, 2016, magical place). But I’ve driven from Texas elsewhere taking me through Louisiana many, many times and back.

The script for this video is exceptional! Very informative, relatable, numerous, & entery

So many fond memories of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel from my trips to New Jersey as a kid. The little dinner at the south end is no more (sad), but it's still a great trek. I hope to return at some point.

I drove across the bridge-tunnel in VA back in 2011, while on the return leg of a multi-week cross-country road trip. I had no idea it was coming, since I was just following the GPS route to the next stop. It was a really trippy experience, driving across a very long swath of water at a pretty low level elevation, compared to most bridges, then suddenly plunging down into a tunnel. Then doing it again for the second tunnel. That doesn't even really do it justice. Because you're driving along, and at some point you're seeing a bunch of gigantic ships (think I saw some tankers and container ships) steaming ahead perpendicular to your path. The bridge isn't nearly high enough for them to go under it. Which doesn't matter, because suddenly you realize that _you're_ going under _them,_ as you enter the tunnel.

It’s pronounced: Bayou “la-foo-sh” “Bon eh carry” spill way I’m impressed you said Baton Rouge Batin Rouge and the rest of the things the right way. The one word so many people seem to say differently is Neworlins.

For some reason, that Chesapeake Bay bridge-tunnel gave me an anxiety attack. I never felt any fear or phobia about bridges or tunnels before, but driving through there made me a little twitchy. It was a huge relief when we were finally over it.

The Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel is something else. When I was growing up it was only one bridge and rough. Lots of bouncing. Lots of ear popping.

I drive the Causeway everyday. I used to have to drive the Manchac bridge everyday. I have traveled on all of the La bridges and the Mobile Bay bridge more times than I can count. Thanks for this, I am glad you mentioned that the Causeway is STILL the longest bridge in the world over water. IMHO putting an unnecessarily curve in your bridge just to make it longer is cheating. BTW Manchac is not pronounced with a hard “ch” sound. It is more like “Manshack”.

lawrence, i love ya man and have been watching for ages, but you're one of us now, you know no one watching this has any idea how long those brides are! You gotta use feet or miles or something we can relate to. i'm disappointed in you, you know better!

So glad the first bridge you mentioned was San Mateo/Hayward! I live just a few miles north of Hayward, and it was so cool to hear you talk about our local bridge! Keep up the good work!

When I was a kid, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge was a two lane entity. One day, my mother got impatient with the traffic and passed 5 other vehicles with a car coming toward us. Fun times!

"Bonnie carrie spillway" is how that is pronounced.

All of Louisiana is a swamp. We need bridges.

Thanks for the info and joy of watching you.

Great video LB. Had a few nice chuckles and learned a thing or two

BTW is the Brooklyn bridge still for sale?

Do the highest bridges vs british ones!

The CBBT is wild because you can be cruising along on a bridge span with an aircraft carrier perpendicular crossing over a tunnel. The home of the Atlantic Fleet is just beyond it plus cargo ships going to Port of Norfolk and Baltimore. A surreal sight!

I got on the Pontchartrain Causeway accidentally once. I think there are places where you can turn around, but I was too scared because I wasn't sure if that was allowed. Plus I was too embarrassed. So I went all the way across... then immediately turned around and went back across. Took a while.

Louisiana, the only state with harder names to pronounce than Florida.

The list is wrong tho the Chesapeake bay bridge tunnel is the second longest bridge in the US coming in at 121,440ft or 37,014.912 meters

I lived in Louisiana for 30 years and have been on all these bridges. Always knew causeway was the longest but didn’t realize those other were so long. Thanks for this video.. I love your videos. I’ve been to London once in 2018. Loved it!!

I traveled on Amtrak across lake Pontchartrain. It was scary seeing nothing but water on either side...LOL

Virginia is a Commonwealth...

When you're discussing measurements with Americans, it's best to use feet and not meters!

The Pontchartrain Causeway is just ridiculous but man can it be fun. At least for someone (me) with a warped sense of humor and a wife with a serious fear of bridges🤣🤣. Yep, when I was married to the first wife, we took a trip to New Orleans and various other places in south Louisiana and she made me swear on all that is Holy that I would NOT get on that bridge. Challenge accepted. I not only did it once, but I did it on the return as well. She can hold her breath for a really long time it turns out. She also fainted 5 times on each pass (each time she opened her eyes). For me and her parents, it was hysterical. 🤣🤣🤣🤣

From New Orleans, and what a great piece. I enjoy this channel already and thus video was hilarious. I regularly drive 5 of the bridges on this list. Several of these were on I-10. Just add in the twin spans to Slidell, Maurepas swamp between St John and St James, Pascagoula Swamp in east Mississippi and Escambia Bay in Florida and you have a few hours worth of I-10 bridge driving.

The planet zubula has a 24 mile bridge crossing the poerozac canyon

"Bonny Carry" is the easiest way to pronounce it.

Love your vids Lawrence...thanks for making them. I have been on all these except the Virginia example. 2019 while working in temporarily in New Orleans I purposely did Lake Pontchartrain because I'd never driven it myself. I was born just south of San Mateo so I've been across that bridge a number of times including driving it myself...as recently as 2006. In 1995 I drove from Sacramento, CA to Biloxi, MS with a lot of that spent on I-10 (in Texas alone a whopping nearly 880 miles!) so I've driven the other bridges/vidaducts in Louisiana you mention by virtue of that trip.

I drove across the Chesapeake Bay bridge every day for almost two years. Traffic was ALWAYS backed up in both directions. I don't miss that commute at all.