The Eastern Expressway Story (and more)

Many thanks to Michael Lindsay of Louisiana for providing this history and explanation of the variations of how mapmakers showed the Eastern Expressway in and near New Orleans.

The Eastern Expressway: the overpasses on I-10 are all dated 1964, 1965, or1966....they could be  the construction you see on maps and the actual three lanes of concrete connecting them coming years later.  In the case of I-10 in Metarie you have overpasses next to each other two years difference in dating, and being made of concrete but having the roadway made out of asphalt.

The Eastern Expressway was there years before I-10 was proposed. It used to connect Downman Road and Little Woods Highway which is now I-510. The entire Pontchartrain Expressway was completed in 1959 and opened late in the year, it connected the Westbank Expressway (still under construction at  the time) and Ponchartrain Blvd.   Basically, I-10 connected pre-existing expressways and right-of-ways at the time,which is why you have maps which show driveable sections of the interstate there years before the interstate was
constructed.

As for the Lafitte-Larose Highway, it made it to Laffite, but never to Larose. It is my understanding that it's purpose was to shorten the trip to New Orleans from a highway called ' The Dixie Expressway' which was to be
what is now the I-49 corridor to new orleans from Lafayette. It was stopped because of the impact building the highway would have on the marsh.



[The above shows just how confusing things got for the early mapmakers - did you show an interstate as completed if three or four overpasses existed - without any connection to them?  Did the service roads qualify as a full interstate?  What is the difference between a "free"way and an "express"way?  Louisiana roads offer some of the most interesting stories of highways and freeways. - Marty Blaise]