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| The Huey P. Long Bridge, Jefferson Parish, LA, several miles upriver from New Orleans. |
| Invitation to opening ceremonies of the first bridge across the Mississippi River in the state of Louisiana, December, 1936. By the time the bridge was completed, the very controversial Sen. Huey P. Long, who had pushed for the bridge and who had chosen the location - of what was at that time, rural Jefferson Parish, rather than the state's largest city of New Orleans - had been assassinated. |
| Car on the approach to the bridge, Jefferson Parish, 1930's. |
| The dual bridge accommodates both vehicular and train traffic, with a two-track railroad line, with lanes of U.S. Hwy. 90 on either side of the central tracks. It remains the longest railroad bridge in the United States and is very popular with railroad enthusiasts. This is a postcard rendering of the first train to cross the bridge. Because of its extremely narrow lanes, with no shoulders, it's not so popular with those who cross in a car. In fact, some say that more prayers have been uttered atop the Huep P. than in all the churches of New Orleans and Jefferson Parish combined. Having experienced the narrow lanes and the steep approach grades myself, I can just about believe that's true! |
| The postcard reads, "Louisiana's two greatest monuments, conceived and built by the late U.S. Senator Huey P. Long: State Capitol & Huey P. Long Bridge." |
| The Huey P. Long Bridge today (as the USS San Antonio passes under the bridge). |
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