Mile 167.5 - Sunshine Bridge
167.5 Sunshine Bridge
La State Highway 70 crosses the Sunshine Bridge connecting East Bank and West Bank. The Sunshine Bridge is named after the Louisiana Governor Jimmie Davis who penned the immortal song, “You Are My Sunshine,” and is a Continuous Steel Truss Through Deck with a length of 8,236 Feet. If there is a lot of traffic on the river, you should aim for one of the narrow spans West Bank or East Bank, and avoid the central span (750 feet wide), or the west span (725 feet wide) through which most commercial traffic passes. The Sunshine Bridge has 4 lanes for motor vehicle traffic and has an average vertical clearance of 170 feet above the river. Meanwhile passing under the river within this same area are major pipelines by Williams Gas, ExxonMobil, United Gas, Texaco, Shell, Monterey, and Louisiana Power & Light Co.
Land Access: A gravel road drops down the levee on the West Bank under the Sunshine Bridge, providing limited access to a primitive landing highlighted by a sunken barge and lots of trash. This is a popular fishing spot, and could be a primitive access point for paddlers needing to make connection to land.
The Sunshine Bridge was long known as the “Bridge to Nowhere” because the south end of the bridge emptied into a swamp. For a while the Sunshine Bridge entered satirical usage for other bridge projects that ended up in dead end spots, such as the Gravina Island Bridge in Alaska. The bridge had been built under the administration of Governor Davis, who had twice picked and sung his way into the Governor's Mansion, and then rode his horse also named “Sunshine” into the Governor's office at his second inaugural! (Wikipedia)
When first opened, the bridge served mostly local farm traffic and sugar cane trucks. It was planned that the bridge would be part of a larger highway project called the Acadian Throughway, and later, the South Central Louisiana Tollway. Those projects never materialized, but the Sunshine Bridge has been connected to the regional traffic grid as roads in the area have been developed and improved. Since the bridge opened, the economy in this area has grown by leaps and bounds, largely due to the improved transportation. Prior to 1964, there were several ferry boat operations carrying traffic across the Mississippi River between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. The Sunshine Bridge replaced the ferry at Donaldsonville, and was the first bridge over the river between the two Huey P. Long Bridges (US-190 at Baton Rouge and US-90 at New Orleans). The Sunshine Bridge operated as a toll bridge until 2001 when the 50 cent toll for westbound traffic was eliminated. It was proposed that this bridge be named after Louisiana Governor James Davis. Davis, however, requested that the bridge be named the Sunshine Bridge rather than carry his name. In addition to being elected Governor in 1944 and 1960, Davis was also a successful songwriter and singer. The bridge name was taken from his hit song ‘You Are My Sunshine’. Davis was subsequently inducted into the Country Music Hall Of Fame. (John Weeks)