Rigolets
Encyclopedia
The Rigolets is a 12.9 kilometer (8 mi) long strait
in Louisiana
.
It begins at 30°10′40"N 89°44′40"W and follows a generally eastward course to Lake Borgne
, which is a lagoon in the Gulf of Mexico
, where it ends at 30°09′16"N 89°37′31"W. Along with nearby Chef Menteur Pass
, the Rigolets connects Lake Pontchartrain
and Lake St. Catherine to Lake Borgne. It forms the boundary between New Orleans (Orleans Parish) and St. Tammany Parish.
"Rigolets" comes from the word rigole, French
for "trench" or "gutter." The name is locally pronounced "RIG-uh-leez."
As a deepwater tidal pass, the Rigolets helps supply salt water from the Gulf to Lake Pontchartrain. Tidal scouring has produced a deep pit in the lake at the western mouth of the strait. Since the Rigolets is a channel through which Gulf storm surges can approach the New Orleans area, there are proposals to construct floodgates.
Fort Pike
was constructed to protect the Rigolets.
The Rigolets is spanned by two bridges. The western terminus of the U.S. Route 90
Rigolets Bridge is located immediately north of Fort Pike. It has required major repairs following damage caused by Hurricane Katrina
in August 2005. Farther south, the CSX Railroad
crosses the Rigolets on a 1,388-meter (4,555-ft) railroad bridge. Hurricane damage there included shifted spans and the loss of timber decking.
Strait
A strait or straits is a narrow, typically navigable channel of water that connects two larger, navigable bodies of water. It most commonly refers to a channel of water that lies between two land masses, but it may also refer to a navigable channel through a body of water that is otherwise not...
in Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
.
Lake Borgne
Lake Borgne is a lagoon in eastern Louisiana of the Gulf of Mexico. Due to coastal erosion, it is no longer actually a lake but rather an arm of the Gulf of Mexico. Its name comes from the French word borgne, which means "one-eyed".-Geography:...
, which is a lagoon in the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
, where it ends at 30°09′16"N 89°37′31"W. Along with nearby Chef Menteur Pass
Chef Menteur Pass
The Chef Menteur Pass is a narrow natural waterway which, along with the Rigolets, connects Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Borgne in New Orleans, Louisiana...
, the Rigolets connects 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...
and Lake St. Catherine to Lake Borgne. It forms the boundary between New Orleans (Orleans Parish) and St. Tammany Parish.
"Rigolets" comes from the word rigole, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
for "trench" or "gutter." The name is locally pronounced "RIG-uh-leez."
As a deepwater tidal pass, the Rigolets helps supply salt water from the Gulf to Lake Pontchartrain. Tidal scouring has produced a deep pit in the lake at the western mouth of the strait. Since the Rigolets is a channel through which Gulf storm surges can approach the New Orleans area, there are proposals to construct floodgates.
Fort Pike
Fort Pike
Fort Pike is a decommissioned 19th century fort, named after Brigadier General Zebulon Montgomery Pike, which formerly guarded the Rigolets pass in Louisiana. It was near the community of Petite Coquille, Louisiana, and now within the city limits of New Orleans, and was long a tourist attraction...
was constructed to protect the Rigolets.
The Rigolets is spanned by two bridges. The western terminus of the 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...
Rigolets Bridge is located immediately north of Fort Pike. It has required major repairs following damage caused by 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 August 2005. Farther south, the CSX Railroad
CSX Rigolets Pass Bridge
The CSX Rigolets Pass Bridge carries one track of CSX rail lines across the Rigolets on the eastern side of Lake Pontchartrain between New Orleans and Slidell, Louisiana....
crosses the Rigolets on a 1,388-meter (4,555-ft) railroad bridge. Hurricane damage there included shifted spans and the loss of timber decking.