The History of the
Lake Pontchartrain Causeway
An American Society of Civil Engineers
National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark
Miles Bingham, PE
URS Corporation
Cary Bourgeois, PE
GEC Consultants
September 26, 2013
SEMINAR OVERVIEW
• ASCE National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark Program
• Life before to the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway
• The Construction of the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway
• Why the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway is an ASCE National
Historic Civil Engineering Landmark
• The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway since Construction
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American Society of
Civil Engineers
National Historic
Civil Engineering
Landmark Program
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What is an ASCE National Historic Civil
Engineering Landmark?
To become an ASCE National Historic Civil Engineering
Landmark, a civil engineering project, structure or site must:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Be a minimum of 50 years old.
Be of national historic civil engineering significance. Size or technical complexity
of design or construction is not sufficient in itself.
Represent a significant facet of civil engineering history, but need not have been
designed or constructed by one who was or who identified himself as a civil
engineer.
Have some special uniqueness, such as a first project constructed; or have made
some significant contribution, such as first project designed or constructed by a
particular method; or used some unique or significant construction or engineering
technique first.
Have contributed to the development of the nation or at least a very large region.
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Other ASCE National Historic
Civil Engineering Landmark in Louisiana
As of 2013, ASCE has recognized 234 projects as ASCE National
Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks. Examples are:
•
•
•
•
Golden Gate Bridge, California
Hoover Dam, Nevada
Erie Canal, New York
Washington Monument, District of Columbia
Louisiana has three other National Historic Landmarks:
•
•
•
Eads South Pass Navigation Works in Plaquemines Parish
McNeill Street Pumping Station in Shreveport
The Huey P Long Bridge in Jefferson Parish
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HISTORY
LIFE BEFORE THE
LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN
CAUSEWAY BRIDGE
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History
• In the 19th Century, people would travel by
steamboat from New Orleans to enjoy the
tranquility of the North Shore.
• Mandeville developed as a resort area with
spas and quaint hotels.
• People would picnic on the Lake shore or walk
under the trees at Fontainebleau Plantation.
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Travelling across the Lake to Mandeville
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The Fontainebleau Oaks
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The 1920s
• Travel by Car was on the rise.
• People were looking for a faster way to travel
to the north.
• One popular idea was to build a roadway
across the center of the Lake using manmade
islands.
• The more practical concept of building a
bridge across the eastern end of the Lake was
constructed.
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The Watson-Williams Pontchartrain Bridge
The Bridge was opened in 1928. This concrete cast-in-place bridge spanned
the eastern edge of Lake Pontchartrain from New Orleans to Slidell. At 4.78
miles, the 35 foot wide, four lane bridge was the longest concrete bridge in
the world. Raymond concrete square piles were used to support this
structure. The bridge was originally operated as a toll structure, but the
State of Louisiana later bought the bridge turning it into a toll-free crossing.
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New Orleans 1935
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New Orleans 1954
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Southern Louisiana 1954
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HISTORY
PRE-STRESSED
CONCRETE
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Pioneers of Pre-stressed Concrete
Maxwell Mayhew Upson
Walter E. Blessey
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Maxwell Mayhew Upson
• Dr. Upson was a leader in the pile industry.
• In 1937, he went to Europe to study the use of
pre-stressed concrete.
• In 1939, he drove pre-stressed concrete test
piles in New York City Harbor.
• He held several patents for pile fabrication,
developing both the Hume method and the
cenvrio process for casting piles.
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Walter E. Blessey
• Mr. Blessey was an innovator in the area of
pre-stressed concrete.
• As a professor at Tulane University, he was
able to use the testing facilities at Tulane to
research how pre-stressed concrete
performed.
• His friendship with Dr. Upson helped advance
the science of pre-stressed concrete.
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Other Key Contributors
• Henry LeMieux, who worked for Dr. Upson at
Raymond Concrete Pile Company, was
instrumental in getting the GNOEC and the
LHD to consider using the new pre-stressed
concrete piles.
• Wayne Palmer was a partner at Palmer &
Baker and was a driving force behind using the
new pile technology and bridge design for the
Causeway Bridge.
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The Walnut Lane Memorial Bridge
• The first major use of
pre-stressed concrete
beams on a bridge in
the US.
• Constructed in 1951.
• Used the industry
standard of the day:
cast-in-place method.
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CONSTRUCTION
BUILDING THE LAKE
PONTCHARTRAIN
CAUSEWAY BRIDGE
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Construction Time Line
• In 1952, the Louisiana Constitution was amended to allow the
Parishes of Jefferson and St. Tammany to jointly build a toll bridge
across Lake Pontchartrain.
• On July 13, 1953, test piles were driven in Lake Pontchartrain.
• In 1954, the Greater New Orleans Expressway Commission was
created to manage the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway Bridge.
• On November 1, 1954, four percent revenue bonds in the amount
of $46,000,000 were issued to fund the construction of the bridge.
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Construction Time Line
• On January 20, 1955, Construction of the Causeway Bridge
starts with the fabrication of piles at the yard in Mandeville,
Louisiana. The Louisiana Bridge Company is the contractor.
• On May 23, 1955, the first piles are driven in Lake
Pontchartrain.
• On August 30, 1956, the original span (now southbound) was
opened to traffic.
• On May 10, 1969, the second span (northbound) was opened
to traffic.
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Lake Pontchartrain Causeway Construction
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Lake Pontchartrain Causeway Construction
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Lake Pontchartrain Causeway Construction
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Lake Pontchartrain Causeway Construction
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Lake Pontchartrain Causeway Construction
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Lake Pontchartrain Causeway Construction
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Lake Pontchartrain Causeway Construction
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Lake Pontchartrain Causeway Construction
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Lake Pontchartrain Causeway Construction
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Lake Pontchartrain Causeway Construction
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Lake Pontchartrain Causeway Construction
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Lake Pontchartrain Causeway Construction
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Lake Pontchartrain Causeway Construction
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Lake Pontchartrain Causeway Construction
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Lake Pontchartrain Causeway Construction
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Lake Pontchartrain Causeway Construction
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Lake Pontchartrain Causeway Construction
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Lake Pontchartrain Causeway Construction
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Lake Pontchartrain Causeway Construction
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Lake Pontchartrain Causeway Construction
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Lake Pontchartrain Causeway Construction
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Lake Pontchartrain Causeway Construction
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Lake Pontchartrain Causeway Construction
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Lake Pontchartrain Causeway Construction
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Lake Pontchartrain Causeway Construction
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Lake Pontchartrain
Causeway Bridge
OPENING DAY
CELEBRATION
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Opening Day Celebration
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Opening Day Celebration
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Opening Day Celebration
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Opening Day Celebration
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Opening Day Celebration
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Newspaper Headlines & Articles
• In just 19 months, the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway – longest
highway bridge in the world –has been completed. This is a world’s
record for long-distance overwater construction. Assembly-line
efficiency produced a superior masonry bridge at substantial savings
in cost and time. The Times-Picayune
• A bold venture requiring unusual foresight, ingenuity and
resourcefulness. The Engineering News Record
• 2 Gallons of Gas Long – Toll Causeway to Open on Lake Pontchartrain.
Bridge will save 29 miles or 40 minutes travel time by direct access to
highways north to Jackson, Memphis and Chicago and west to Baton
Rouge and the plains of Texas and east to Poplarville, Miss.
The Press Telegram (Long Beach California)
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Newspaper Headlines & Articles
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Magazine Articles
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CONSTRUCTION
BUILDING THE SECOND
LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN
CAUSEWAY BRIDGE
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Construction of the Second Bridge
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Construction of the Second Bridge
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Construction of the Second Bridge
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Construction of the Second Bridge
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Construction of the Second Bridge
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Construction of the Second Bridge
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American Society of
Civil Engineers
National Historic
Civil Engineering
Landmark
DESIGNATION
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Lake Pontchartrain Causeway Plaque
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Lake Pontchartrain Causeway Plaque
The original 23.86-mile-long structure, which now carries
the southbound traffic, was designed by the firm of Palmer
& Baker. When opened in 1956, the structure was the
longest bridge in the world by more than 15 miles. In
building the bridge, which took just fourteen months,
assembly-line, mass-production methods were utilized for
the first time in the construction of a bridge. It was designed
to employ hundreds of identical, hollow concrete pilings,
concrete caps, and pre-stressed deck sections manufactured
at an on-shore facility and barged into place. Engineering
News-Record acclaimed the project to be “A bold venture
requiring unusual foresight, ingenuity and resourcefulness.”
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Why was the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway designated an
ASCE National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark?
Reason 1: The techniques used during construction
• The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway bridge was constructed using
three mass-produced elements: pre-stressed concrete piles;
prefabricated concrete pile caps; and pre-stressed concrete decks.
• The elements were fabricated in a yard in Mandeville, which
allowed for higher quality control and the ability to mass-produce
the elements utilizing reusable forms.
• The prefabricated elements were barged to the site and assembled
“like a big tinker toy.”
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Why was the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway designated an
ASCE National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark?
Reason 2: The 54 Inch Cylindrical Pre-stressed Concrete Piles
• “The cen in cenviro stood for centrifugal force, which made the
concrete spin to the outside wall of the piling form; vi stood for
violent vibration that compacts the concrete; and ro stood for rollers
that roll the concrete hard against the outside form.”
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Why was the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway designated an
ASCE National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark?
Reason 3: The National Significance
• The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway made significant advancements
in the areas of pre-stressed concrete and bridge building. These
techniques were used throughout the US to build similar structures.
• The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway solved the long standing dilemma
of providing more direct access to the City of New Orleans, which
still boasts one of the most active ports in the US.
• On a more regional note, the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway has
acted as a “life-line” during hurricane evacuation efforts and getting
emergency vehicles in and out of New Orleans after a storm.
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MOVING FORWARD
The Lake Pontchartrain
Causeway Bridge
Since Construction
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MARINE VESSEL COLLISIONS
• The bridge has been struck by marine vessels a
total of 16 times.
• One of the collisions happened during the
construction of the first bridge.
• Sections of the bridge have collapsed due to
vessel collisions 3 times (1960, 1964 & 1974).
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1960 Vessel Collision
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1960 Vessel Collision
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1960 Vessel Collision
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Something Strange on the Bridge
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Something Strange on the Bridge
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Landmark Dedication Ceremony
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QUESTIONS?
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