Baton Rouge historic bridges, roads: See how these pathways took shape over time

Tyler Eschette

Wed, July 24, 2024 at 2:15 PM UTC

3 min read

BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — Ever wondered how old some of the roads and bridges you are traveling on? Baton Rouge has several historic bridges and roads that each have their own story behind them.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Association, the preservation of historic roads is important to the preservation of natural heritage and culture.

From the Old Mississippi River Bridge that dates back all the way to the 1930s from Highland Road, which was one of the first high lands along the Mississippi River, roadways across East Baton Rouge Parish have historical features that you can learn about.

Check out these historic bridges and roads the next time you are traveling through the capital city.

Need a night in nature? Check out Louisiana state parks with lodges, cabins for family fun

Old Mississippi River (Huey P. Long) Bridge

The Old Mississippi River Bridge, known as the Huey P. Long Bridge, was built in 1939. According to the Louisiana Department of Transportation, the bridge was engineered to carry both train and vehicular traffic.

It would be restored to widen the roadway, but to this day it continues to “convey its engineering and design significance,” according to DOTD.

Bayou Manchac Bridge

The Bayou Manchac Bridge located in East Baton Rouge Parish was built in 1931. DOTD stated that “this bridge exhibits added guardrail that results in a minor loss of integrity but is able to convey its significant design features.

The Bayou Manchac is a pony truss bridge and features three Warren truss spans, according to DOTD.

Perkins Road Overpass Bridge

The Perkins Road Overpass Bridge in Baton Rouge was built in 1937. According to DOTD, the bridge features concrete railing, angular pier cap design, tapered brackets under the sidewalks and geometric end posts.

DOTD said the bridge’s historic significance is “directly related to its funding through the U.S. Works Program Grade Crossing program during the Depression era to provide safe railroad-highway crossings.”

Great River Road

The Great River Road spans more than 700 miles and stretches all the way from the southeast corner of Louisiana to the northeast corner of the state. According to the Louisiana Trails & Byways’ website, “Baton Rouge to New Orleans is the most popular drive along the Louisiana Great River Road.”

Highland Road

Highland Road is a historic and scenic parkway in Baton Rouge. According to the Louisiana State Legislature’s website, Highland Road was the “first high land along the Mississippi River north of the Gulf of Mexico, which was developed as a farmland and plantations.”

Plank Road

Plank Road’s history in the capital city goes back to the 1700s. According to LabGov’s website, the path “was constructed of wooden planks, lending itself to be called Plank Road.”

Louisiana Scenic Bayou Byway

The Louisiana Scenic Bayou Byway stretches 500 miles over 13 parishes in the state including Ascension, Assumption, Iberville, Pointe Coupee, East Baton Rouge, West Baton Rouge, East and West Feliciana, Livingston, St. Helena, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa and Washington.

Airline Highway

Airline Highway runs for over 115 miles from New Orleans to northwest Baton Rouge. In its early stages, Airline Highway was scattered with motels, restaurants, bars. The highway linked South to northern cities.

Old Hammond Highway

Old Hammond Highway, also known as Louisiana Highway 426, was the original traffic route between Denham Springs and Baton Rouge, according to MOVEBR’s website. MOVEBR stated that the “roadway was known as Benton’s Ferry Road and it traveled from what is now known as Jefferson Highway to Benton’s Ferry on the Amite River.”

Jefferson Highway

According to the Jefferson Highway Association, the Jefferson Highway was organized in November 1915. It was originally an automobile highway that stretched through the central United States from New Orleans to Winnipeg, Manitoba in Canada.