The Manchac Swamp Bridge is a twin concrete trestle

bridge A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whi ...

near Manchac in the U.S. state of

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 ...

. It carries

Interstate 55 Interstate 55 (I-55) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, connecting the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes. The ...

and

U.S. Route 51 U.S. Route 51 or U.S. Highway 51 (US 51) is a major south–north United States highway that extends from the western suburbs of New Orleans, Louisiana, to within of the Wisconsin–Michigan state line. As most of the United States Numbered Hi ...

over the Manchac Swamp in

and represents a third of the highway's approximately in Louisiana. With a total length of , it is one of the longest bridges in the world over water, and is the longest bridge on the

Interstate Highway System The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, or the Eisenhower Interstate System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Hi ...

, and some claim it is the longest toll-free road bridge in the world. Opened in 1979, with piles driven beneath the swamp, it cost $7 million per mile (/km), equivalent to $ per mile (/km) in , to construct.

2023 Manchac Swamp Bridge Car Crash

The 2023 Manchac Swamp Bridge Car Crash occurred on October 23, 2023, on Interstate 55 in St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana. The incident was primarily caused by a combination of heavy fog and drifting smoke from nearby marsh fires, a phenomenon known as superfog. The crash took place on the elevated section of I-55, which spans from Ponchatoula to LaPlace over the swamplands below. During the crash, one vehicle fell into the water and partially sank, while over 100 motorists were left stranded until rescue services could reach the area. The collision involved 168 vehicles, resulting in 8 fatalities and 63 injuries. The severe conditions and scale of the accident posed significant challenges for emergency responders. Lake Pontchartrain by Sentinel-2

References

U.S. Route 51 Bridges completed in 1979 Transportation buildings and structures in St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana Buildings and structures in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana Transportation in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana Road bridges in Louisiana Interstate 55 Bridges on the Interstate Highway System Concrete bridges in the United States Trestle bridges in the United States {{Louisiana-bridge-struct-stub

2023 Manchac Swamp Bridge Car Crash

See also

References