Mississippi River Bridge

As an out of towner I’ve always enjoyed coming across this bridge but it appears it’s a pain in the arse for the locals. The elevation is pretty high but it has beautiful views of the river on both sides and I love the architecture of it.

I am totally convinced that traffic follows me wherever I move. This does not excuse the traffic on the Mississippi River Bridge though. I can’t say that I am not completely against this bridge, but I also have some complaints about it. When I lived in West Baton Rouge, I used to cross this bridge 7-​days a week. If there was an 8^th day, I probably would cross it then, too. Given that I have lived and visited cities where crossing a bridge required a toll fee, that right there is 2 stars. The 3^rd star is for when this bridge has no traffic, it is quite easy to get across and you are in the west side or east side in no time. I cannot give it anymore than that though because when there is something that happens, there is either too much traffic or they shut it down! Unfortunately, there are not a lot of options to when they shut this bridge down. You will get re-​routed to use the «old bridge» (a couple miles up) or you opt to take the ferry. In a perfect world, whoever designed this bridge would have estimated a bit better on the growth of Baton Rouge, but hey, it’s not a perfect world, is it? Who knew Baton Rouge was gonna explode the way that it did and now crossing the bridge can be a real pain in the neck, especially when it’s rush hour! Yes, beware of peak times (especially when coming from the West Baton Rouge area), traffic to get on the bridge can start as early as 3:00pm and end as late as 7:00pm. My suggestion is to get on Twitter and follow the various news handles that report traffic issue, bridge closures, etc. Always be in the know and you may avoid getting stuck on the MSRB.

Traffic, traffic, traffic. Horrible congestion at all times of the day. People need to learn how to drive!!! Please build an additional bridge in the city easy the pain that is experienced on a daily basis for some many people.

Although I’ve crossed this bridge many many times over the years I have never encountered the daily traffic issues the locals deal with. This mammoth superstructure is a beautiful aging structure that was open in 1968 making it the highest bridge crossing «Old Man River» to date and the 7^th longest cantilever bridge in the world, the traffic issues alone warrants it’s replacement in the not so distance future. There is little doubt that the new bridge won’t incorporate a cantilever design but will most likely be replaced with a modified suspension bridge with grand cable stays and modern illumination that will enhance the resume of some architectural design firm rather than address the pure functionality required to remedy the traffic volume. The demolition of this nostalgic structure referred to as the Horace Wilkinson Bridge or «New Bridge» by the locals that has served so well for the past 47 years will be documented in the journals of history for future generations but the panoramic views and feelings experienced by millions will be lost forever.

Who designed this bridge?! One lane of traffic heading west. Always a delay! Makes me hate Baton Rouge!

The Horace Wilkinson Bridge that crosses the Mississippi river is a cantilever bridge aka «the new bridge» to locals because it is the younger of the two bridges that cross the river in Baton Rouge.
The elevation starts at the Louisiana Highway 1 (LA 1) exit south of Port Allen. Then it goes up, up, up, scary high till you pass over or pass out! LOL
The bridge remains an elevated viaduct up to the Dalrymple Drive exit to Louisiana State University. It is the highest bridge on the Mississippi River.
Crossing this bridge can be a traffic nightmare. However, the stunning views of the beautiful mighty Mississippi River from the top outweigh any traffic woes just like in the lyrics of Hank Snows song.
«Oh, you Mississippi River with waters so deep and wide, my thoughts of you keep rising just like an evening tide, I’m just like a seagull that’s left the sea, Oh, your muddy waters keep on calling me.
I’m gonna pack my grip and head that way, You’ll see me hanging ’round again some day ‘Cause I know that’s the only way to lose,
The Mississippi River blues!»

I have travelled several times on the Horace N. Wilkinson Bridge between Baton Rouge and Port Allen (the first exit heading West). It’s actually one of 2 bridges that cross the Mississippi River in Metro Baton Rouge, and both are kind of ugly and stunning at the same time. Bridge Horace is even worse coming back into Baton Rouge during commute hours and my best advice is to stay in the right line as long as possible.

This bridge is a bitch. When I say that I don’t say it lightly since I’m a girl and I am a girl who loves bridges. Oh and also… this type of bridge happens to be my favorite to look at.
HOWEVER…
Have you ever met a beautiful girl who was complicated? She’s pretty but not easy to maneuver. You’d love to win her and place your flag there… but. Oh. Wait,
You can’t win.
This beautiful bridge is just like the woman you can never win.
What a bitch she is. A beautiful bitch of a bridge.

This bridge is officially named the Horace N. Wilkinson bridge (in honor of 3 generations of men all with the same name who served in the LA legislature in excess of 50 years) and referred to as the New Mississippi River Bridge by the people in and around the Baton Rouge area (or the New MRB)…
So named because it replaced the old bridge (the old bridge still stands and is used daily) on US 190 and allowed for direct connection to I-​10 whether traveling east or west… It is a beautiful and majestic cantilever bridge with great views of Death Valley (Tiger Stadium) and the LA state capital…
You might be asking if the last statement is true why the «2»? Well it’s because the idiots with LA DOTD who thought up the design for connecting said bridge had to have all been on peyote at the time… because as one tries to enter the bridge heading west on I-​10 the road narrows to 2 lanes with an elevated curve that one must slow down to around 30 mph to negotiate… HELLO TRAFFIC BACKUP! Coming east on I-​10 it gets even better (SARCASM!) cause the merge, after crossing the bridge, onto the main portion of I-​10 narrows to 1 lane… HELLO TRAFFIC BACKUP!
If you try and cross this bridge at the wrong time of day, I-​10 on either side of the bridge resembles a parking lot as opposed to a high speed highway… For that reason and that reason alone this majestic bridge with great views gets a «2»!

The Mississippi River Bridge in Baton Rouge has caused me an incredible amount of frustration over the years. Sure it’s a cantilever bridge which just so happens to be one of my favorite bridge designs, but the traffic and approaches are ridiculous.
The Approaches
It doesn’t matter if you’re heading westbound or eastbound on I-​10; the massive curve in the roadway causes lots of problems. If you happen to be heading westbound, you’ll get two lanes, but the curve is so drastic that traffic slows to 30 mph or below. This causes nearly constant delays on I-​10W. Then when you’re headed eastbound the interstate actually drops to one lane as it merges with I-​110. I can’t be sure, but an engineer buddy told me this is one of the few places nationwide where the interstate is actually only one lane.
Traffic
This bridge has near constant delays. When a car breaks down or there is a crash, prepare to sit for a very long time. I don’t know if the issues arise because of the different agencies who patrol this bridge, or if it just takes too long to clear incidents. Whatever it is, anything that happens will back traffic up for miles.
The Good
This is a beautiful bridge. The view of the river is spectacular if you’re lucky enough to be a passenger while crossing it. The view of the bridge itself from the capital is also amazing.
It connects East Baton Rouge Parish and West Baton Rouge Parish. I am not sure what goes on in WBR, but EBR is the state capital. This paragraph doesn’t really have a lot to do with the bridge, but I love referring to parishes using acronyms. Try it and you’ll like it.
I am sure that I could find other fun and interesting things to say about this bridge, but you really need to check it out for yourself.