Atchafalaya River

Mile 59.8 - I-10 The Atchafalaya Basin Bridge

John Ruskey

20 Apr 2026 � 2 min read

59.8 I-10 The Atchafalaya Basin Bridge

Also known as the “Swamp Expressway.” This is probably the ugliest bridge on the Atchafalaya River; it’s nothing more than a cold steel megalith cutting across the horizon as if a monotone grey-green skyscraper fell over here. Unlike the other elegant bridges that seem to enhance the beauty of the scene (i.e. truss bridges, suspension bridges, and cable stay bridges seen elsewhere) the I-10 Bridge denigrates the view, slicing it in half like a meat chopper’s cleaver.

Paddlers can make land contact here, but the site is very primitive, and feels a bit hostile. Besides being a steep bank (actually a cliff) composed of rangia shells with no easy access to river (except in high water when the water is at bank full level) this hangout is trashed out and has the feel of a place you might not want to be after dark. There is no boat ramp here, but a gravel ramp is found two miles downstream on the east side of the river, left bank descending at 60.7 LBD. (Note: We’re calling this the Bayou Des Glaises Boat Ramp for the nearby bayou of the same name.) Also, you passed the Atchafalaya NWR Boat Ramp four miles upstream, at 55 LBD.

The Atchafalaya Basin Bridge, also known as the “Louisiana Airborne Memorial Bridge,” is a pair of parallel bridges that carries I-10 over the Whiskey Bay Pilot Channel. With a total length of 96,095 feet (29,290 m) or 18.2 miles, it is the 3rd longest bridge in the US and the fourteenth-longest bridge in the world by total length. The bridge includes two exits: one for Whiskey Bay (LA 975) and another for Butte La Rose (LA 3177). While the bridges run parallel for most of their length, they merge when crossing the Whiskey Bay Pilot Channel and the Atchafalaya River. The average daily traffic count is (as of 2011) 24,540 vehicles. Accidents occur frequently near the two river crossings as both are very narrow and lack shoulders. Accidents along the bridge can be problematic as the Atchafalaya Basin is sparsely inhabited. In 1999, Gov Mike Foster lowered the speed limit on the bridge from 70 MPH to 60 MPH. In 2003, the Louisiana Legislature enacted new traffic regulations for the bridge. The speed limit for 18-wheelers was lowered to 55 MPH, and they must remain in the right lane while crossing the bridge.

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