In a state divided by a large river, bridges are common. Drive across this one and you’ve gone across the highest one in the state.
Horace Wilkinson Bridge in Baton Rouge is an impressive structural accomplishment spanning the large waterway that is the Mississippi River. Consider that bridges are high in Louisiana to allow ships to travel up and down this important commercial link that flows into the Gulf of Mexico. Horace Wilkinson Bridge is the highest at 175 feet (53 meters) above the water.
The bridge connects the east and west sides of Baton Rouge and is part of highway I-10 with six lanes of traffic on the span. Go from one end of the bridge to the other and you will have travelled 14,150 feet (4,313 meters) with the river 500 feet (152 meters) wide at this point of the crossing.
Unlike most bridges named after one individual, this one shares its title with three men of the same name, all of whom were Louisiana politicians.
Call this bridge by its name and residents may not know what you’re referring to as most simply call it the “new bridge” even though it opened over 50 years ago. The older bridge is located 4 miles (6 kilometers) to the north. If you look for the bridge by its name on a GPS device or a map, you may not find it as there is on-going debate whether a federal structure can be named after state politicians, which Louisiana’s government proclaimed through an Act in 1968. Drive over the bridge without worrying about a toll charge as it’s federally subsidized.
Horace Wilkinson Bridge is a continuous steel structure that has more than 100,000 vehicles making the trip daily between both sides of Baton Rouge. Have someone in your car take a picture through the steel supports as you cross the river and, with constant ship traffic, you may even pass over one while it’s going under the bridge.
