There’s something so interesting to me about those original deck spans in Louisiana. Their architecture seems so brutalist and intense, with what looks like a large amount of trestles. Also love how quickly I-10 goes from middle of nowhere to civilization and into Metairie
I find it crazy how much has changed in the past 12 years. Especially right after you get off the bonnet carre spillway bridge into Kenner. There are new bridges, safety walls and an expansion in an extra lane. This brings back many memories
I had no idea this was from like 2009 until I saw the Causeway interchange wasn't even done yet. Damn. And my God how much worse traffic is down here compared to a decade ago.
It's so fascinating to see such a rapid transition from swampland to urban environment, in such a short time span. The reconstructed stretch of I-10 thru the western half of New Orleans is nice enough, but what makes it really stand out is that there's really nothing else like it, for hundreds of miles. Business 90 is such a neat freeway, and the Crescent City twin spans are totally awesome. Great video; I was really looking forward to seeing this one. Going on my favorites list.
A few historical angles: That section of I-310 opened in 1993 or 1994 to connect to the Hale Boggs Bridge, which opened about a decade earlier and could only be accessed from U.S. 61. The bridge crosses the river at Luling, the site of the worst ferry accident in American history. In 1976, the MV George Prince collided with a freighter just before sunrise and capsized, taking 78 lives. The George Prince had been used at the Donaldsonville-Darrow crossing before the opening of the Sunshine Bridge in 1964. For years, my Dad took that ferry back and forth to Ascension Catholic High School, along with his buddy and classmate James Carville. The Pontchartrain Expressway was a natural location for a roadway, being built atop a filled-in canal, with many of the road and rail overpasses already in place. It was built to connect the Pontchartrain Causeway to the Greater New Orleans Bridge (known as the "Crescent City Connection" since the 1980s). The original roadway was more akin to a boulevard but was upgraded to expressway standards in the mid-1960s when it connected to the new expressway being built out to the suburbs... today's western portion of I-10. That stretch connected to Interstate 10 in 1973. A fierce battle was fought in the 1960s to prevent construction of an elevated expressway along the riverfront at the French Quarter. Thankfully, the opponents won the fight. I can't imagine what a horror the French Quarter would be with a brutal freeway separating it from the river. Read "The Second Battle of New Orleans" by Richard Baumbach for the whole story. The elevated section of I-10 built over Carrollton Avenue was one of the worst examples of myopic 1960s "Urban Renewal" thinking. Carrollton Avenue was a broad boulevard draped with beautiful massive oaks and was the heart of a thriving, middle-class black neighborhood. After the expressway was built, the area fell into massive decay and today is one of the worst crime areas of the city. There's a movement to have that section demolished and have I-610 take over I-10's route through the city, but unfortunately, there's no money to do this. Tearing down expressways ain't cheap!
well i havent been home in a long time due to being in the marine corps and finding this video made me feel like i was back home, i am from gretna born and raised. thanks
thanx for taking me back to NOLA; wanted to go there this year (i have family down there), but work and time constraints prevented me from doing so. thanx again
Awesome video as well as song of choice! That drive makes me even more eager to get out there next year when I visit an old friend who currently lives there ⚜
Going that way you be in Marrero Louisiana I love Louisiana I love all the bridges that's in Louisiana their food is so awesome and delicious from Mobile Alabama wish that I could move there
Very nice. Decided to drive down to New Orleans in December to take a nice Christmas cruise and spend time in the French Quarter...This video gave me a chance to see the final stretch of the 10 hour drive (and took away any apprehension about driving through the swamp). This will be the first time in a long while that we haven't flown, looking forward to it!
7:48... When I lived in NOLA nearly 40 years ago, that cylinder hotel was owned by another hotel chain; the Holiday Inn was about 2-3 miles further ahead on the left, a 3-story structure. When we moved to NOLA, we stood there until getting the apartment; IIRC, their Sunday brunch was good.
Of course, living in Los Angeles I am fairly close to the western terminus of I-10 in Santa Monica. In fact, when I was a little kid I was confused seeing what I thought was the Santa Monica Freeway in New Orleans.lol. Thanks for posting a video of a place where I spent many a summer as well as several Christmases and a few Mardi Gras.
The west side as shown here is definitely the nicer side of town. I visited for the first time earlier this year and loved it, did a lot of driving around and was surprised to see a toll to cross that bridge back to New Orleans.
I-10 through that area is one of my favorite drives since a lot of that is elevated over water...I didn't realize how tall the superdome is until you see it up close and us 90 is nice...Atlanta needs more of its U.S. Routes to be expressways
You are correct when you said a flyover ramp didn't open in the 60s. That ramp (ramp from Power Blvd) opened in the 90s and the flyover ramp before that (from Williams Blvd) opened last decade.
The thing I like about driving to New Orleans from Atlanta that know you are close to New Orleans once you approach all the bridges over swamps and wetlands
Nice video, going to New Orleans this summer along with some cities in Texas. I find it really cool how quick it goes from rural to urban, in most other metro areas (including my own) it's just a gradual change from rural to urban; developments start to appear, and then more appear, until you're in the suburbs.
It looks like we may have been in NOLA around the same time, I was just there last week. I've always liked the sudden transition between swamp and develoment along I-10.
This is "soulful house"? Cool! I was going to say, thanks for playing some real music here, not just the hip-hop garbage that most people play on their videos.
Fantastic ride Jim, from:42 to 2:41 as you stated was completely over water, that was cool. If I didn't gaze to the left, I probably wouldn't have noticed.I love your music selection, it set the pace for an exhilarating ride.(GVJ) Great Video Jim!!!!
Hey Jim, having a problem with notifications, I am wondering if you have any solutions in regard to fixing it, would much appreciate any help, nothing displays in the field.
Do you plan to film the Lake Pontchartrain causeway? That'll be interesting. Been wanting to get to The Big Easy to show some support and love, after all they've been thru.
From 7:25 - 7:33, if you look on the horizon a little bit to the right, you can see a smokestack in the distance. That used to be Kaiser Aluminum in Chalmette. That's where I grew up. And I see they still drive crazy in New Orleans.
@jocee3 Thank you for the kind words, I'm glad you enjoyed the video and that is gives you a little slice of "home". I also have two from Baton Rouge if you have not seen them yet.
I always come into New Orleans from Biloxi on I-10 westbound, so it's interesting to see the approach from the opposite direction. Have you done a video of the I-10 causeway between Slidell and New Orleans?
@juvmol Thanks! Traffic is usually not that bad, I was going through here at afternoon rush hour. It's roughly about 5.5 to 6 hours from NO to Houston depending on your style of driving and stops.
New Orleans is an interesting city. Looking forward to your next piece of work. I also like the song you used "In The Bottle" I recognized it immediately from another video, but can't remember which one exactly. 5 stars!
Crash 70 You are welcome, you may enjoy one of my latest offerings ofNew Orleans with new equipment. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-3GlPeodR2E0.html
Freewayjim at first I was skeptical about your music selections (earlier vids) but I must say I've come to enjoy your song features enormously. I am a music enthusiast, and a picky one at that; your musical tastes are exquisite. Thanks for the vids, and countless musical discoveries. (I'm particularly fond of your soul/dance/funk picks)
@colinstu My guess is that it may be damage left by Hurricane Katrina. I stayed at the La Quinta Inn visible just to the left of the freeway at 3:43 the year before Katrina hit, and I don't remember them being there at that time.
@centuryrox I don't think a Hurricane would damage a freeway structure like that. I think it's part of a planned expansion of that interchange at some point.
Great ride and editing. Hope you had a great time in my original home city. The upgrades you mentioned occurred within the last three years. Traffic is usually at its worst traveling west during the time of day you passed through.
About 14-15 miles, plus check my I-55 video before this, there are 21 miles of bridge then it merges with 10 just before where this video starts to make a 35 mile continuous bridge over swampland.
@FreewayBrent Thanks, glad you liked it. From a highway standpoint there is nowhere else like New Orleans, not the biggest or best but very interesting just the same.
I was going to ask you about when the rehabilitation and widening of I-10 happened until I saw your annotation. I assume that was probably done after Katrina once the feds started pumping some relief money into the city? Those ghost ramps are also interesting. I drove this stretch a year or so ago and wondered what those were after coming off the Lake Pontchartrain Bridge. Super video! Can't wait to see what else you filmed in New Orleans!
@juvmol I did not get to the French Quarter, the Holiday Inn was $129, and the room was very nice. The area wasn't the best but the location was good, right off the highway and only a couple miles to downtown across the bridge.
Great video the hotel looks really cool you don't see many like that any more. Sure would hate to have car problems on any of the bridges over the swaps or a accident.
I've never been through it at night but I imagine it would be. If you are driving from Miami to Houston you would avoid New Orleans by taking I-12 north of Lake Ponchartrain, it's a "normal" highway much shorter in time and distance.
@zorb58 - Not sure, but it may have to do with the fact it is right over water and there is no runoff area. From a geometric perspective alone, I would say 65 or 70 mph is more reasonable there. I would personally widen it to 6 lanes and build it higher to protect against hurricane damage (i.e. if Katrina had made landfall farther west).
@juvmol I don't know, we were only there overnight and visited the national World War II Museum which was incredible! I would definitely recommend that if you like history.
This road looks really bumpy in the beginning. I've been on a concrete road in Czech republic, it was bumpy and unpleasant as well, are all concrete roads in the states like this?
Well part of the reason it's bumpy is because it's elevated and over 40 years old, it has not been re-decked since it was built in the early 1970's. Most concrete roads in the US are quite smooth.
That Carrollton Avenue interchange was rated as the worst in America back in the 1980s However, it was built for the Pontchartrain Expressway in the mid 50s, not I-10. As seen in some historic pictures, the Pontchartrain Expressway was a divided ground level highway with a median and U-turns in some places.
OK, Mea Culpa Time! I misspelled PONTCHARTRAIN, twice, my bad, it happens. Now I'm waiting to see if one viewer (not to be named) in particular notices and makes a remark about it :)
When it comes to Louisiana's highways it's all about the long bridges When it comes to Texas highways it's all about the interchanges When it comes to California's highways it's all about the bridges and interchanges Thats all I gotta say
