The bridge is 3,009' (917m, 0.6 mile) long. [BridgeHunter]
It has a main span of 1,460' (445m) with a clearance of 165' (50m). The bridge cost $110m. [GribbleNation]
This must be one of the last cantilever bridges built in the US because cable-stayed bridges became standard practice for large bridges.
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| Boat View, Nov 2016 |
I was going to skip this view because the levee blocks the view of the bridge. But the levee itself is insight as to how dependent lower Louisiana is on the continued integrity of levees. And it is a decent view of the cantilever towers.
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| Street View, Mar 2023 |
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| United States beauty posted The Gramercy Bridge, also known as the Veterans Memorial Bridge, spans the Mississippi River and connects Gramercy and Wallace, Louisiana. Opened in 1995, it provides a critical link between St. James Parish and St. John the Baptist Parish, enhancing regional connectivity and facilitating the movement of goods across southern Louisiana. As a cantilever bridge, it features a distinctive structure with steel trusses, designed to withstand the river’s powerful currents and the area’s sometimes challenging weather. The bridge supports both vehicle and pedestrian traffic, offering a reliable alternative to the ferries that once served the area. The Gramercy Bridge is part of Louisiana Highway 3213 and is essential for connecting local communities to major routes like Interstate 10, which runs parallel to the river, and other nearby highways. [It is the piers, not the trusses, that are designed to withstand the powerful currents. The trusses, and piers, do have to withstand winds.] Named in honor of military veterans, the bridge is also a symbol of resilience for the region, and it’s been beneficial for economic activity, supporting the sugar, petrochemical, and other industries vital to Louisiana’s economy. Henry McKee: That is a part of Cancer Alley on the Mississippi River between New Orleans and Baton Rouge. |
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| GribbleNation, this webpage as many more photos of the bridge. "In the aftermath of the George Prince ferry disaster that claimed the lives of 78 people in October 1976 in nearby Luling, LA, the state of Louisiana began the process of gradually phasing out most of its prominent cross-river ferry services, a process that remains a work in progress today. While the Luling-Destrehan Ferry service was eliminated in 1983 upon completion of the nearby Hale Boggs Memorial Bridge, the ferry service at Gramercy, LA in rural St. James Parish was seen as a safety issue and planning for a bridge in the area commenced shortly thereafter....The desire to eliminate the ferry crossing in Gramercy was an unnecessary overcorrection. Passenger ferries themselves are not dangerous modes of transportation when they are placed in the hands of competent, sober crews. The regulatory changes brought about by the George Prince tragedy ensured that this would remain the case all the way to the present day. The ferries that continue to operate on the lower Mississippi, whether in Plaquemine or in greater New Orleans, do so safely to the highest of standards with a terrific safety record. The Gramercy Ferry was not unsafe, but the disaster downriver in Luling caused an overreaction that led to one of Louisiana’s largest boondoggle projects of the last 50 years." |
As of 2003, the daily traffic count was just 7,600. [JohnWeeks]
"It should also be known that this bridge is used for all wide/tall loads to cross the river as it has more clearance than the rest in the area." [Arthur comment on GribbleNation]
I looked at a portal view to try to determine the vertical clearance. Then I looked at the other five street views to try to find an 18-wheeler on the bridge for a better scale measure. Not only were there no trucks in the views, 4 of the 6 views have just one car visible and the other two have only three cars. Instead of a 4-lane bridge, it appears that a two-lane bridge with wide shoulders would have been more than sufficient.
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| Street View, Jan 2023 |
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