The Fort Pike Bridge carries U.S. Route 90

U.S. Route 90

U.S. Route 90 is an east–west United States highway. Despite the "0" in its route number, U.S. 90 never was a full coast-to-coast route; it has always ended at Van Horn, Texas. A short-lived northward extension to U.S...

 across the Rigolets

Rigolets

The Rigolets is a 12.9 kilometer long strait in Louisiana.It begins at and follows a generally eastward course to Lake Borgne, which is a lagoon in the Gulf of Mexico, where it ends at . Along with nearby Chef Menteur Pass, the Rigolets connects Lake Pontchartrain and Lake St. Catherine to Lake...

 on the eastern side of Lake Pontchartrain

Lake Pontchartrain

Lake Pontchartrain is a brackish estuary located in southeastern Louisiana. It is the second-largest inland saltwater body of water in the United States, after the Great Salt Lake in Utah, and the largest lake in Louisiana. As an estuary, Pontchartrain is not a true lake.It covers an area of with...

 between New Orleans

New Orleans, Louisiana

New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...

 and Slidell, Louisiana

Slidell, Louisiana

Slidell is a city situated on the northeast shore of Lake Pontchartrain in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 25,695 at the 2000 census. The Greater Slidell Community has a population of about 90,000...

. The bridge opened on June 9, 1930 and along with the Chef Menteur Bridge

Chef Menteur Bridge

The Chef Menteur Bridge carries U.S. Route 90 across Chef Menteur Pass on the eastern side of Lake Pontchartrain between New Orleans and Slidell, Louisiana....

 provided a free route between New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast. A new span was constructed just to the north of the old span.

High rise replacement

Construction of a new $50 million high-rise bridge began in October 2004. It was delayed by the Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...

 in 2005, which pushed a devastating storm surge

Storm surge

A storm surge is an offshore rise of water associated with a low pressure weather system, typically tropical cyclones and strong extratropical cyclones. Storm surges are caused primarily by high winds pushing on the ocean's surface. The wind causes the water to pile up higher than the ordinary sea...

through the area. The new bridge is just over one mile (1.6 km) in length and features two 12 feet (3.7 m) lanes with 8 feet (2.4 m) shoulders on both sides. The bridge rises to 72 feet (21.9 m) to allow marine traffic to pass without interruption of bridge traffic. The new span opened to traffic on January 15, 2008. After completion, of the new span, the old bridge was demolished.