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46-517: The I-10 Twin Span Bridge , a nearly 5.5-mile (8.9 km) causeway officially known as the Frank Davis "Naturally N'Awlins" Memorial Bridge , consists of two parallel trestle bridges . These parallel bridges cross the eastern end of Lake Pontchartrain in southern Louisiana from New Orleans to Slidell . The current bridge spans were constructed in the second half of the 2000s after

92-658: A dyke that keeps two bodies of water apart, such as bodies with a different water level on each side, or with salt water on one side and fresh water on the other. This may also be the primary purpose of a structure, the road providing a hardened crest for the dike, slowing erosion in the event of an overflow. It also provides access for maintenance as well perhaps, as a public service. Notable causeways include those that connect Singapore and Malaysia (the Johor-Singapore Causeway ), Bahrain and Saudi Arabia (25-km long King Fahd Causeway ) and Venice to

138-399: A bid of $ 30.9 million from Boh Brothers Construction Company on September 9, 2005, to reconstruct the bridges, starting with the less damaged westbound span. Phase 1 of the project was to reestablish two-way traffic on the eastbound span within 45 days. Scavenged bridge segments from the westbound span were used to fill in the gaps in the eastbound span. On October 10, 2005, the east span

184-534: A major color imbalance (as can be seen in the image at right). Furthermore, the difference in salinity has become so severe that native brine shrimp cannot survive in much of the waters, with the northern part being too salty and the southern part being insufficiently salty. Lake Pontchartrain Causeway The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway ( French : Chaussée du lac Pontchartrain ), also known simply as The Causeway ,

230-553: A much higher bridge (or part of a single bridge) in the middle so that taller boats may pass underneath safely. Causeways are most often used to connect the barrier islands with the mainland . In the case of the Courtney Campbell Causeway , however, the mainland ( Hillsborough County ) is connected by a causeway to a peninsula ( Pinellas County ). A well-known causeway is the NASA Causeway connecting

276-527: A short stretch of viaduct is called an overpass . The distinction between the terms causeway and viaduct becomes blurred when flood-relief culverts are incorporated, though generally a causeway refers to a roadway supported mostly by earth or stone, while a bridge supports a roadway between piers (which may be embedded in embankments). Some low causeways across shore waters become inaccessible when covered at high tide . The Aztec city-state of Tenochtitlan had causeways supporting roads and aqueducts. One of

322-515: A word derived not from trampling but from ramming or tamping. The Welsh word cawsai translates directly to the English word 'causeway'; it is possible that, with Welsh being a lineal linguistic descendant of the original native British tongues, the English word derives from the Welsh. A transport corridor that is carried instead on a series of arches, perhaps approaching a bridge, is a viaduct ;

368-634: Is a fixed link composed of two parallel bridges crossing Lake Pontchartrain in southeastern Louisiana , United States. The longer of the two bridges is 23.83 miles (38.35 km) long. The southern terminus of the causeway is in Metairie, Louisiana , and the northern terminus is in Mandeville, Louisiana . Both are in the New Orleans metropolitan area . The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway holds

414-477: Is a high priority for local, regional, and even national authorities. Causeways can separate populations of wildlife, putting further pressure on endangered species . Causeways can cause a mineral imbalance between portions of a body of water. For example, a causeway built in the Great Salt Lake has caused the northern half of the lake to have much higher salinity, to the point that the two halves show

460-820: Is also home to the Norfolk Southern Lake Pontchartrain Bridge , which at 5.8 miles (9.3 km) is one of the longest railway bridges in the United States. The southern end of the Manchac Swamp Bridge (on the western edge of Lake Pontchartrain) is the western end of the I-10 Bonnet Carré Spillway Bridge (on the southwestern edge of Lake Pontchartrain), and the northern end of the LaBranche Wetlands Bridge

506-464: Is simply the hard, trodden surface of a path. The name by this route came to be applied to any firmly surfaced road. It is now little-used except in dialect and in the names of roads which were originally notable for their solidly made surface. The 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica states: "causey, a mound or dam, which is derived, through the Norman-French caucie (cf. modern chaussée ), from

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552-593: Is the eastern end of the I-10 Bonnet Carré Spillway Bridge; so these three bridges, by name, are in fact one contiguous bridge. The total driving distance on continuous elevated roadway is over 38 miles (61 km). The bridge was designated as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers in 2013. For decades Lake Pontchartrain Causeway was listed by Guinness World Records as

598-480: Is used on the one hand for a metalled carriageway, and on the other for an embankment with or without a road. Other languages have a noun with similar dual meaning. In Welsh , it is sarn . The Welsh is relevant here, as it also has a verb sarnu , meaning to trample. The trampling and ramming technique for consolidating earthworks was used in fortifications and there is a comparable, outmoded form of wall construction technique, used in such work and known as pisé,

644-703: The Guinness World Record for longest continuous span over water in the world. It previously was listed as longest bridge over water in the world ; in 2011, in response to the opening of the Qingdao Jiaozhou Bay Bridge in China, Guinness World Records created two categories for bridges over water: Lake Pontchartrain Causeway then became the longest bridge over water (continuous), while the Jiaozhou Bay Bridge became

690-613: The Maestri Bridge on U.S. Route 11 or the Rigolets Bridge on U.S. Route 90 , both near Slidell, Louisiana ; or on the west side, via U.S. Route 51 through Manchac, Louisiana . After Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005, videos collected showed damage to the bridge. The storm surge was not as high under the causeway as it was near the I-10 Twin Span Bridge , and damage was mostly limited to

736-880: The Manchac Swamp bridge on I-55 , the Atchafalaya Basin Bridge on I-10 , the Louisiana Highway 1 Bridge , the Bonnet Carré Spillway Bridge on I-10 , the Chacahoula Swamp Bridge on U.S. 90 , the Lake Pontchartrain Twin Spans on I-10 , and the LaBranche Wetlands Bridge on I-310 . The Maestri Bridge comes close, but runs short by two-tenths of a mile at roughly 4.8 miles (7.7 km) in total length. Louisiana

782-603: The longest bridge over water in the world . In July 2011 the Jiaozhou Bay Bridge in China was named by Guinness World Records as the 'longest bridge over water'. At that time there was some controversy in the United States as supporters of the former holder of the record, the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, disagreed with Guinness World Records not calling the causeway the longest. Supporters made this claim based on its own definition, i.e.

828-510: The turnarounds . A total of 17 spans were lost on that bridge but the structural foundations remained intact. The causeways have never sustained major damage of any sort from hurricanes or other natural occurrences, a rarity among causeways. The existing fiber optic cable plant was blown out of its tray but remained intact per optical time domain reflectometer (OTDR) analysis. With the I-10 Twin Span Bridge severely damaged,

874-612: The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development. The current bridges also feature traffic cameras and electronic message boards to alert motorists of any potential problems on the bridge, much like the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway bridge. On October 30, 2008, as construction workers were preparing a form for a concrete pour, a girder collapsed sending 10 workers plunging into Lake Pontchartrain approximately 30 feet (9.1 m) below. One of

920-405: The bridge, but three approach roads on the north end and a long stretch of road on the south end. On June 16, 1964, six people died when barges tore a gap in the bridge and a bus plunged into the lake. A parallel two-lane span, 0.01 miles (16 m) longer than the original, opened on May 10, 1969, at a cost of $ 30 million (equivalent to $ 190 million in 2023 dollars). Since its construction,

966-478: The bridge. The original bridges were opened at a short ceremony on December 21, 1965 and were each constructed with 433 65-foot concrete segments. Each span was two lanes wide, and they had a clearance of 8.5 feet (2.6 m) for most of the bridge, with a 65 feet (20 m) clearance at the navigational channel section. After Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005, the old Twin Spans suffered extensive damage, as

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1012-463: The bridge. The toll changed from $ 3.00 with cash and $ 2.00 with a toll tag to $ 5.00 with cash and $ 3.00 with a toll tag. The opening of the causeway boosted the fortunes of small North Shore communities by reducing drive time into New Orleans by up to 50 minutes, bringing the North Shore into the New Orleans metropolitan area . Prior to the causeway, residents of St. Tammany Parish used either

1058-422: The causeway has operated as a toll bridge . Until 1999, tolls were collected from traffic going in each direction. To alleviate congestion on the south shore, toll collections were eliminated on the northbound span. In May 1999, the standard tolls for cars changed from $ 1.50 in each direction to a $ 3 toll collected on the North Shore for southbound traffic. In 2017, the toll was raised to fund safety improvements on

1104-531: The causeway was used as a major route for recovery teams staying in lands to the north to get into New Orleans. The causeway reopened first to emergency traffic and then to the general public – with tolls suspended – on September 19, 2005. Tolls were reinstated by mid-October of that year. The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway is one of seven highway spans in Louisiana with a total length of 5 miles (8.0 km) or more. The others are, in order from longest to shortest,

1150-664: The cobbles together. However, some of the stones were left loose. In Scotland , the skirmish known as Clense the Calsey, or Cleanse the Causeway , took place in the High Street of Edinburgh in 1520. In the 18th century, Dahomey lacked an effective navy hence it built causeways for naval purposes starting in 1774. The modern embankment may be constructed within a cofferdam : two parallel steel sheet pile or concrete retaining walls , anchored to each other with steel cables or rods. This construction may also serve as

1196-400: The eastbound span. The west span reopened on January 6, 2006, returning four lanes of traffic to flow once again. Due to the prefabricated steel segments, there were both a 45-mile (72 km)-per-hour speed limit and weight restrictions on the westbound span. Additionally, the span was closed periodically for maintenance work, which is covered by Phase 3 of the original contract. Following

1242-458: The entrance of the Harbour made from blocks of reef and coral nearly a meter high. These acted as breakwaters , allowing mangroves to grow which is one of the ways the breakwater can be spotted from a distance. Some parts of the causeway are made from the bedrock, but usually the bedrock was used as a base. Coral stone was also used to build up the causeways, with sand and lime being used to cement

1288-413: The extensive damages from Hurricane Katrina, it was decided that the old Twin Spans were too vulnerable to storm surge and that the long-term solution would be to construct two new taller spans. Ground was broken on July 13, 2006, on the project, which constructed two new bridges 300 feet (91 m) east of the old spans. This $ 803 million project constructed two three-lane bridges 30 feet (9.1 m) above

1334-522: The harbour, on the orders of Winston Churchill . The Estrada do Istmo connecting the islands of Taipa and Coloane in Macau was initially built as a causeway. The sea on both sides of the causeway then became shallower as a result of silting, and mangroves began to conquer the area. Later, land reclamation took place on both sides of the road and the area has subsequently been named Cotai and become home to several casino complexes. Various causeways in

1380-451: The late Latin via calciata , a road stamped firm with the feet ( calcare , to tread)." The word is comparable in both meanings with the French chaussée , from a form of which it reached English by way of Norman French . The French adjective chaussée carries the meaning of having been given a hardened surface and is used to mean either paved or shod. As a noun chaussée

1426-416: The length of a bridge physically over water, and concluded that the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway spans 23.79 mi (38.28 km), and was therefore the longest. The Jiaozhou Bay Bridge spans water for only 16.1 mi (25.9 km). However, Guinness World Records , using the criteria of measurement that included aggregate structures, such as land bridges on the ends and an under-sea tunnel , stated that

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1472-421: The longest bridge over water (aggregate). The bridges are supported by 9,500 concrete pilings. The two bridges feature a bascule , which spans the navigation channel 8 miles (13 km) south of the north shore. The idea of a bridge spanning Lake Pontchartrain dates back to the early 19th century and Bernard de Marigny , the founder of Mandeville. He started a ferry service that continued to operate into

1518-808: The mainland, all of which carry roadways and railways. In the Netherlands there are a number of prominent dikes which also double as causeways, including the Afsluitdijk , Brouwersdam , and Markerwaarddijk . In the Republic of Panama a causeway connects the islands of Perico, Flamenco, and Naos to Panama City on the mainland. It also serves as a breakwater for ships entering the Panama Canal . Causeways are also common in Florida , where low bridges may connect several human-made islands , often with

1564-593: The mid-1930s. In the 1920s, a proposal called for the creation of artificial islands that would then be linked by a series of bridges. The financing for this plan would come from selling home sites on the islands. The modern causeway started to take form in 1948 when Ernest M. Loëb Jr. envisioned the project. Due to his lobbying and vision, the Louisiana Legislature created what is now the Causeway Commission . The Louisiana Bridge Company

1610-643: The next morning. The original Twin Span bridges were demolished shortly after the replacement spans opened. A short portion remains in use as a public fishing pier in Slidell. The debris from the demolition was used to line the nearby lake bottom as an underwater reef. On August 1, 2014, the bridge was officially named the Frank Davis "Naturally N'Awlins" Memorial Bridge to honor the former WWL-TV News personality Frank Joseph Davis (1942–2013) who often fished near

1656-634: The oldest engineered roads yet discovered is the Sweet Track in England . Built in 3807 or 3806 BC, the track was a walkway consisting mainly of planks of oak laid end-to-end, supported by crossed pegs of ash , oak, and lime , driven into the underlying peat. In East Africa , the Husuni Kubwa (the "Great Fort"), situated outside the town of Kilwa , was an early 14th-century sultan's palace and emporium that contained causeways and platforms at

1702-406: The original bridges were extensively damaged by Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005. The first span opened to eastbound traffic on July 9, 2009. On April 7, 2010, the second span was opened to traffic and the old twin spans were permanently closed to traffic. The approaches to the westbound lanes were completed with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on September 8, 2011, and the opening of all six lanes

1748-526: The rising storm surge pulled or shifted bridge segments off their piers. The eastbound span was missing 38 segments with another 170 misaligned, while the westbound span was missing 26 segments with 265 misaligned. The damage to the Twin Spans and to U.S. Route 90 to the east left only one route into New Orleans from the east, the U.S. Route 11 bridge just west of the Twin Spans. The Louisiana Department of Transportation & Development (DOTD) accepted

1794-611: The same source by two different routes. It derives ultimately, from the Latin for heel, calx , and most likely comes from the trampling technique to consolidate earthworks . Originally, the construction of a causeway used earth that had been trodden upon to compact and harden it as much as possible, one layer at a time, often by slaves or flocks of sheep . Today, this work is done by machines. The same technique would have been used for road embankments, raised river banks, sea banks and fortification earthworks. The second derivation route

1840-412: The surface of Lake Pontchartrain, with an 80-foot (24 m) high rise near Slidell. Each span is 60 feet (18 m) wide, consisting of three 12-foot (3.7 m) lanes, and 12-foot (3.7 m) shoulders on each side. The wider bridges eliminated the bottlenecking that occurred at both ends of the old bridges and also are able to accommodate 50 percent more traffic than the old twin spans, according to

1886-664: The town of Titusville on the Florida mainland to the rocket-launching facility at the Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island . The Churchill Barriers in Orkney are some of the most notable sets of causeways in Europe. Constructed in waters up to 18 metres deep, the four barriers link five islands on the eastern side of the natural harbour at Scapa Flow . They were built during World War II as military defences for

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1932-435: The winds and rains of approaching tropical storms —as well as waves generated by the storm in the surrounding bodies of water—make traversing causeways problematic at best and impossibly dangerous during the fiercest parts of the storms. For this reason (and related reasons, such as the need to minimize traffic jams on both the roads approaching the causeway and the causeway itself), emergency evacuation of island residents

1978-403: The workers, Eric Troy Blackmon, who was tethered to the girder, died in the accident. 30°10′57.5″N 89°49′29.5″W  /  30.182639°N 89.824861°W  / 30.182639; -89.824861 Causeway When first used, the word causeway appeared in a form such as "causey way", making clear its derivation from the earlier form "causey". This word seems to have come from

2024-500: The world: Unlike tunnels or bridges, causeways do not permit shipping through the strait which can cause problems. In some cases, causeways were built with "gates" or other facilities to permit shipping to pass through. Causeways affect currents and may therefore be involved in beach erosion or changed deposition patterns; this effect has been a problem at the Hindenburgdamm in northern Germany. During hurricane seasons,

2070-455: Was formed to construct the bridge, which in turn appointed James E. Walters Sr. to direct the project. Ernest M Loëb was assisted by his nephew, Ernest M. Loëb III, president of Ernest M. Loëb & Company to plan the construction of the bridge The original causeway was a two-lane span, measuring 23.86 miles (38.40 km) in length. It opened in 1956 at a cost of $ 46 million (equivalent to $ 390 million in 2023 dollars). This included not just

2116-446: Was reopened to traffic with one lane in each direction. The original contract planned for 43 days - the contractor completed the project 15 days ahead of schedule and was awarded a bonus of $ 1.1 million. Phase 2 of the project was occurring concurrently with Phase 1 and involved repairs to the westbound span. Prefabricated steel bridge spans were used on the westbound bridge in two areas to replace destroyed segments and segments used on

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