Luling Bridge

Long before the opening in 1983 of the Luling Bridge in St. Charles Parish the residents of Destrehan and Luling, Louisiana drove onto ferries to cross the mighty Mississippi River, most were unaware of the dangers they faced as they drove their vehicles aboard these ferries since it had became a way of life and few gave anymore thought of the ride across this major transportation corridor than they would a daily trip to the grocery store, it had became a normal way of life and although it could be a minor inconvenience it wasn’t that big of a deal and was worth every minute to live or work in the communities on either side of the river. On the morning of October 20, 1976 all of this changed as did the lifes of the family’s of the seven-​eight passengers that perished aboard the MV George Prince ferry when it collided with the Norwegian tanker SS Frosta which was traveling upriver. The collision occurred, less than three-​quarters of a mile from the site of the Luling Bridge which replaced the ferry service seven years later.
The Hale Boggs Memorial Bridge (also known as the Luling-​Destrehan Bridge or simply the Luling Bridge) was built to counter such tragedies from ever happening again. This cable-​stayed bridge is a beautiful tribute to those that lost their lives aboard the George Prince that morning. The ride across this superstructure is nothing less than amazing to me, I’m sure it represents a lot of different things to everyone who drive this route, with its unpainted weathering steel towers and mammoth steel box girders that support the roadway using two planes of cables that form a fan pattern, it’s rusting patina that protects its integrity and reduces maintenance requirements since no painting is required its a true marvel of engineering. The weathered bronze color is no accident, the intention to match the colors of the muddy waters of the Mississippi far below is a sight to behold, whether it’s early morning in a mist of shrouding fog, mid-​day against a clear blue sky or under the starry sky at midnight this majestic structure strikes a overwhelming feeling of reverence, admiration, and to some fear, but no matter the emotions it produces this bridge is grand, sublime, and extremely powerful, and never was there a time when I haven’t been in awe of its presences.

It’s a bridge! Amazing huh? Bridges are things people use to cross waterways when they don’t want to take a ferry, swim or when they don’t own a boat and private launch!
Now that the Huey P is less interesting and there is no toll on the «Connection», I don’t know that people will care so much about taking this exit off of 90. But it was definitely the one to take if you just couldn’t hold your own on the narrow version of the HP.

While I have only crossed this bridge a few times, I am always impressed with it’s modern look, sleek lines and amazing design aesthetic. This sexy bridge connects the east and west banks of the Mississippi River at I-​310 and is the gateway to the southern part of the state that is often referred to as «Down the Bayou». If you are headed ‘down the bayou’ don’t miss this gorgeous feat of civil engineering.
Safe Travels, Y’all!

Also known as Hale Boggs Memorial Bridge the Luling Bridge is a really cool looking bridge. I think the cables make it look cool but I wish the speed limit was faster than 60 mph. I’m not sure how old it is but it’s not really bumpy or anything like some of those older bridges. I really don’t have a whole lot of bridges to compare it to but it didn’t seem that long. Only complaint is the speed limit, I think it could be increased to 70 mph maybe during the day or something.

Definitely one of the cooler bridges in Louisiana. Beautiful lines and a great look against the river. But they have never solved the decking problem.

I like bridges, and the Hale Boggs bridge is certainly one of the more fun ones… when you are not stuck behind an 18-​wheeler.
It’s a tall one with a solid climb, really making you work for it, but at the top, you feel like you are part of the sky. Approaching the steel towers, however, it also makes you feel miniature.
The speed limit stays nice and quick at 70mph, so when you reach the peak, the downhill cruise kind of makes you want to throw your hands up in the air in delight.