atchafalaya-river

Mile 4.5 — Simmesport KCS Railroad Bridge

John Ruskey

26 Apr 2026

Railroad swing brideg with a very narrow opening for commercial traffic. There are two narrow openings for navigation under the railroad bridge, both are about 132 feet wide, which isn’t much for a towboat 2 barges wide, or 60 feet. The steady handed pilots must have to hit this opening in a straight on run with no angle, and no sideways motion in the water. This is a truss through bridge. Danger: fast water currents pulling turbulently in all directions underneath this bridge!

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