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26-467: Carrollton Avenue is a broad tree-covered avenue, with a large median (or neutral ground to locals) for most of its length. Riverside of South Claiborne Avenue , Carrollton has one lane of traffic and one lane of parking in each direction. The St. Charles Streetcar Line also runs along this section before turning onto St. Charles Avenue in the Riverbend. The landmark Camellia Grill is located near

52-598: Is a major thoroughfare in New Orleans , Louisiana . It runs the length of the city, about 9.5 miles (15.3 km), beginning at the Jefferson Parish line and ending at the St. Bernard Parish line; the street continues under different names in both directions. It is called South Claiborne Avenue upriver from Canal Street and North Claiborne Avenue from Canal to St. Bernard Parish. New Orleans' longest street

78-407: Is primarily commercial, with residential neighborhoods throughout the adjacent blocks. It traditionally served as an important African-American shopping district, a counterweight to Canal Street , which catered to the white community. For three blocks, Claiborne also passes the old Saint Louis Cemetery Number 2 in this section. Claiborne Avenue was once a neutral ground and main street for Tremé ,

104-602: The Industrial Canal , and the street continues through the Lower Ninth Ward to St. Bernard Parish, where it becomes Judge Perez Drive. Jefferson Highway The Jefferson Highway was an automobile highway stretching through the central United States from New Orleans , Louisiana , to Winnipeg , Manitoba in Canada. The Jefferson Highway was replaced with the new numbered US Highway system in

130-646: The 1950s, first known as just Carrollton, and later 90 Carrollton), the other an express (established June 16, 1958 as the very first nonstop route in New Orleans, first known as Express 70 - Carrollton via Earhart, later 34 Carrollton Express). Both routes were halted before Hurricane Katrina hit in August 2005; they have since been restored. Riverside to Lakeside: 29°57′20″N 90°07′14″W  /  29.9556°N 90.1205°W  / 29.9556; -90.1205 Claiborne Avenue Claiborne Avenue

156-519: The area's history and culture, and create a future for young residents. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, many have called for the removal of the I-10 Claiborne overpass, rerouting I-10 to the I-610 corridor. Supporters cite the structure's need for costly repairs and damage it has caused and continues to cause to what could potentially be a thriving urban neighborhood. Opponents argue that

182-516: The area, the Claiborne Expressway is generally acknowledged as the city's most hated piece of infrastructure and is considered the primary cause of the decline of the once thriving, African-American business district. The famous oak trees were removed from the avenue, nearly 500 homes in the area were destroyed, families were displaced, and the businesses closed. Over fifty years later, the only oak trees that line Claiborne Avenue are

208-593: The birth of the African American business district on Claiborne Avenue. This historic strip included a plethora of booming African American-owned businesses such as: theaters, drug stores, insurance companies, restaurants, and toy stores that occupied the space. At the intersection of St. Bernard Avenue and Claiborne was the St. Bernard Circle. The intersection bustled with activity around the famous Circle Food Store in New Orleans' historic Seventh Ward . This store

234-468: The crescent in the river, from about a mile inland, that gives New Orleans its nickname. For this stretch, the street is six lanes, three in each direction, with a neutral ground in the middle. It passes through a mix of residential and commercial districts. The oldest section of Claiborne Avenue runs through the Tremé neighborhood; in several phases there had been a street named for Governor Claiborne since

260-566: The exception of some commercial areas between Canal Street and Bienville Street . This stretch of road is three lanes in each direction, however lakeside of Canal Street the inner lanes in each direction are shared by the Carrollton Spur of the Canal Streetcar Line . Jesuit High School , an elite all-male Roman Catholic institution, is located at the corner of Carrollton and Banks Street. The Carrollton neighborhood

286-532: The first few miles in the city coming from Jefferson Parish, Claiborne Avenue is part of U.S. Highway 90 ; before crossing the parish line it is called Jefferson Highway . Highway 90 shifts to Broad Street as it meanders its way out of New Orleans toward Slidell , while Claiborne continues towards the Central Business District . The section from Jefferson Parish to the large interchange at Earhart Boulevard and Interstate 10 visibly follows

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312-525: The interstate replaced the old oak trees, permanently changing the streetscape. It is commonly held that the construction of the overpass was intimately tied to the overall decline of the Treme neighborhood in the 60's and 70's. As part of the 2002 "Restore the Oaks" program, some of the round supports were painted by various local artists, while others were painted to resemble oak trees. According to residents of

338-493: The late 1920s. Portions of the highway are still named Jefferson Highway, including the portions that run through Jefferson Parish, Louisiana ; East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana ; Lee's Summit, Missouri ; Osseo, Minnesota ; and Wadena, Minnesota . It was built in the 1910s as part of the National Auto Trail system. Named for President Thomas Jefferson , inspired by the east–west Lincoln Highway , it

364-482: The neighborhood was first developed in the early nineteenth century. The wide neutral ground was lined with Southern live oak trees, and the public green space served as a center of congregation for the area's primarily African-American residents. The Claiborne intersection at Orleans Avenue, in the heart of Treme, remains a primary meeting ground for the Mardi Gras Indians . This stretch of Claiborne

390-602: The oldest African-American neighborhood in the United States. In the 1950s, this avenue served as a community space lined with large oak trees and azalea gardens. During Carnival season, families would camp out, barbecue, and wait for the Mardi Gras parades to pass by. Due to racial segregation and Jim Crow laws in the South , African-Americans were not permitted to shop at white-owned stores. This resulted in

416-453: The ones painted on the concrete columns that support the interstate. Local artists have painted imagery on the columns that tell a story of the Tremé neighborhood's former history. In the wake of rebirth and reconstruction following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, many groups and leaders have made proposals to alter and/or remove the interstate in hopes of resurrecting the once booming strip. New programs attempt to restart economic growth, restore

442-587: The overpass' removal would cause great inconvenience to the residents of New Orleans East and potentially require unwanted and intrusive expansion of the I-610 corridor. The September 14, 2009, draft of the New Orleans Master Plan called for the study and eventual removal of the overpass, though the Plan as adopted in 2010 did not contain such language. At St. Bernard Avenue (not to be confused with

468-610: The parish), Claiborne and the Interstate part as the street continues to follow the river. It becomes a four-lane divided street, and then the eastbound (downriver) lanes separate from Claiborne to join North Robertson, a one-way street, through the upper Ninth Ward . At this point Claiborne Avenue is technically only the westbound side, a block away. The two rejoin at the Claiborne Avenue Bridge over

494-559: The second most convenient route for construction, while still bringing the interstate very close to the Central Business District and the French Quarter, a few blocks from Claiborne. The opposition of the largely African-American and disenfranchised residents of Treme was not enough to stop the project from going forward. After construction, cement parking lots replaced the grassy neutral ground and supports for

520-691: The streetcar turn. This section of the road is mostly residential with the exception of the commercial area of Riverbend. Between South Claiborne Avenue and Earhart Boulevard , there are three lanes of traffic in each direction. This area is a mix of commercial and residential and is home to such landmarks as the Notre Dame Seminary and the Rock n' Bowl . Carrollton is entirely commercial between Earhart Boulevard and Tulane Avenue and maintains three lanes in each direction. Lakeside of Tulane Avenue, Carrollton returns to mostly residential area with

546-470: Was constructed on Claiborne Avenue in 1969. The construction generally followed vacant land, such as the filled-in New Basin Canal . The original design called for the Interstate to be built along the river through the French Quarter. A successful campaign was organized by French Quarter residents and preservations to redirect that stretch of Interstate. The width of Claiborne Avenue provided

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572-529: Was formally dedicated the following January. The original route (finalized in December 1916) on today's roads is as follows: When Louisiana numbered its state highways in 1921, the entire length of the Jefferson Highway through Louisiana was designated as State Route 1. This route was in effect until the 1955 Louisiana Highway renumbering . When the U.S. Highway System was designated in 1926,

598-416: Was incorporated in 1938 and was New Orleans' first African American-owned full-service grocery store. The Circle Food Store provided groceries—"It stocked local staple foods and was even known to carry wild game" —a pharmacy, a doctor, a dentist, a chiropractor, check cashing and banking, and a place to buy school uniforms. To much opposition from the neighborhood residents, a six-lane elevated Interstate-10

624-479: Was named in honor of William C. C. Claiborne , the first United States governor of Louisiana , serving during both the territorial period and as the first governor under statehood . New Orleans was the capital city in those days of the early 19th century. Claiborne Avenue can be divided into three general sections as it winds through the city, following the curves of the Mississippi River . For

650-556: Was nicknamed the "Palm to Pine Highway", for the varying types of trees found at either end. The southern terminus of the Jefferson Highway was in New Orleans, Louisiana at the intersection of St. Charles Avenue and Common Street. It is marked by a six-foot tall Georgia granite obelisk donated by the New Orleans chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution . The obelisk was installed on April 15, 1918, and it

676-612: Was once an independent city and Carrollton Avenue was known as Canal Street in the city plans, so named because at the time it terminated at the New Basin Canal . The name was later changed to avoid confusion with Canal Street in downtown New Orleans . In addition to the Carrollton spurs of both the Canal Streetcar Line and St. Charles Streetcar Lines , two transit routes, operated by New Orleans Public Service at first and later New Orleans Regional Transit Authority , were assigned to South/North Carrollton Avenue: one local (est. in

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