The Israel LaFleur Bridge is a concrete pillar vehicular bridge located in the city of Lake Charles,

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

. The bridge was built in 1962 as part of Interstate 210 (Lake Charles Loop; a highway expansion that travels over the

Calcasieu River The Calcasieu River ( ; ) is a river on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast in southwestern Louisiana. Approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed J ...

, south of Lake Charles, and back up to

Interstate 10 Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost transcontinental highway in the Interstate Highway System of the United States. It is the fourth-longest Interstate in the country at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. It was part of the origina ...

). It is named after Israel LaFleur, who spearheaded the project to build it. The bridge is about long, and high. It is one of the tallest structures in southwest Louisiana. The bridge survived the fourth-most intense

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...

hurricane ever recorded and the most intense

tropical cyclone A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its locat ...

ever observed in the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico () is an oceanic basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, mostly surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States; on the southw ...

Hurricane Rita Hurricane Rita was the most intense tropical cyclone on record in the Gulf of Mexico, tying with Hurricane Milton in 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, 2024, as well as being the fourth-most intense Atlantic hurricane ever recorded. Part of the ...

. The bridge's structural rating is 96%, even after surviving two major hurricanes and being sixty years old.

References

External links

* {{Commons category-inline Bridges completed in 1962 Buildings and structures in Lake Charles, Louisiana Road bridges in Louisiana Bridges on the Interstate Highway System Concrete bridges in the United States 1962 establishments in Louisiana Calcasieu River Transportation buildings and structures in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana

See also

References

External links