For many New Orleanians, the thought of crossing the Huey P. Long Bridge brings back memories of fear and dread. For decades, this bridge was infamous for being incredibly narrow and somewhat dangerous for cars. It has since been widened (hooray!) but let’s take a look back at the construction of this famous bridge and how it came to be a historical engineering landmark.

Designs to build the Huey P. Long bridge started in 1925.
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Although the idea of building the bridge dates back much further. The Southern Pacific Railway company proposed the idea back in 1892, but engineering challenges combined with the beginnings of the Great Depression halted further work on the project.
Construction began on December 31, 1932.
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Contracts were signed on December 30th and then construction started the very next day.
Overall, the bridge took about three years to be completed.
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The process was fairly smooth, only being interrupted by a rise in water levels and a month-long strike in 1933. The bridge was opened to the public in December 1933 and named after Governor Huey P. Long, who has been assassinated earlier that same year.

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The bridge was the first Mississippi River span bridge built in Louisiana at the time.
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And it held the title for being the longest railroad bridge in the world for about 18 years.
The 9-foot lanes made for some very anxious drivers.
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If you ever had the (dis)pleasure of driving down this incredibly narrow bridge prior to the expansion, you’ll remember how scary it was.
In 2006, expansions to the bridge began.
John Olsen/Flickr
The seven-year long construction was broken down into four-phases, and was finally completed in 2013. The expansion was the first change to the bridge since it opened in 1935, and it updated the bridge from two nine-foot lanes to three 11-foot lanes with a (much needed) shoulder.

Do you remember driving the Huey P. prior to the expansion? Share your stories in the comments below!

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