HISTORIC ARTICLE

Aug 30, 1956 CE: Lake Pontchartrain Causeway Opens

On August 30, 1956, the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, the world’s longest bridge over water, opened outside New Orleans, Louisiana.

Grades

5 - 8

Subjects

Engineering, Geography, Physical Geography

Loading ...

Selected text level

On August 30, 1956, the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway opened across Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana. The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway is the longest continuous bridge over water in the world. The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway links the urban area of New Orleans, Louisiana, with the smaller communities on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain. The roadway is 38 kilometers (24 miles) long, and supported by 9,500 concrete pilings. The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway benefitted residents on both sides of the bridge. People who worked in the city had their commute time reduced drastically. The bridge also increases business for retail stores and restaurants in towns on the north shore by allowing New Orleanians and tourists greater access.

benefit

verb

to be helpful or useful.

bridge

noun

structure connecting areas otherwise difficult to travel.

business

noun

sale of goods and services, or a place where such sales take place.

causeway

noun

elevated road.

city

noun

large settlement with a high population density.

column

noun

strong, vertical support structure, such as a pillar.

commute

verb

to travel to and from specific places on a regular basis, usually for a specific purpose, such as employment.

concrete

noun

hard building material made from mixing cement with rock and water.

continuous

adjective

uninterrupted.

drastic

adjective

severe or extreme.

lake

noun

body of water surrounded by land.

lakebed

noun

bottom of a lake.

piling

noun

structure, usually made of metal or wood, hammered vertically into the ground to serve as a foundation or wall.

resident

noun

person who lives in a specific place.

retail

adjective

having to do with the sale of finished goods to consumers.

shore

noun

coast.

tourist

noun

person who travels for pleasure.

town

noun

human settlement larger than a village and smaller than a city.

urban area

noun

developed, densely populated area where most inhabitants have nonagricultural jobs.

Credits

Media Credits

The audio, illustrations, photos, and videos are credited beneath the media asset, except for promotional images, which generally link to another page that contains the media credit. The Rights Holder for media is the person or group credited.

Writer

National Geographic Society

Producer

National Geographic Society

other

Last Updated

October 19, 2023

User Permissions

For information on user permissions, please read our Terms of Service. If you have questions about how to cite anything on our website in your project or classroom presentation, please contact your teacher. They will best know the preferred format. When you reach out to them, you will need the page title, URL, and the date you accessed the resource.

Media

If a media asset is downloadable, a download button appears in the corner of the media viewer. If no button appears, you cannot download or save the media.

Text

Text on this page is printable and can be used according to our Terms of Service.

Interactives

Any interactives on this page can only be played while you are visiting our website. You cannot download interactives.