Israel LaFleur Bridge
Fetchwikidatacoordinates
Bridge nameIsrael LaFleur Bridge
Also known asI-210 Bridge
Carries4 lanes of
CrossesCalcasieu Ship Channel
LocaleLake Charles, Louisiana
MaintLDOT
DesignBox girder
Mainspan450.2 feet (137.2 m)
Length8,500.4 feet (2,590.9 m)
Width56.4 feet (17.2 m)
Below140 feet (43 m)
Open1962
TollFree both ways

The Israel LaFleur Bridge is a concrete pillar vehicular bridge located in the city of Lake Charles, Louisiana. The bridge was built in 1962 as part of Interstate 210 (Lake Charles Loop; a highway expansion that travels over the Calcasieu River, south of Lake Charles, and back up to Interstate 10). It is named after Israel LaFleur, who spearheaded the project to build it.[1]

At over 140 feet (43 m) high, it is one of the tallest structures in southwest Louisiana.

The bridge survived the fourth-most intense Atlantic hurricane ever recorded and the most intense tropical cyclone ever observed in the Gulf of Mexico, Hurricane Rita. The bridge's structural rating is 96%, even after surviving two major hurricanes and being sixty years old.[citation needed]

References

  1. ^ "4/16/03: Roy and Pearl LaFleur - KPLC 7 News, Lake Charles, Louisiana". Kplctv.com. Retrieved 29 July 2017.