Louisiana Highway 23
Encyclopedia
Louisiana Highway 23 is a north–south state highway
in Louisiana
that serves Plaquemines and Jefferson Parishes
. It spans 74.02 miles (119.12 km) in roughly a southeast/northwest direction. It is known locally as Belle Chasse Highway, Lafayette Street, the West Bank Expressway, and Franklin Avenue.
and Venice
. Between Belle Chasse and Venice, the highway serves as the main road along the west bank of the Mississippi River
. In Belle Chasse, the highway crosses the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway
via two antiquated crossings: southbound traffic uses the 1955-vintage Belle Chasse Tunnel
, a narrow crossing that does not allow passing and northbound traffic uses the 1967-vintage Judge Perez Bridge
, a vertical lift bridge. LA 23 runs through the small rural towns of Jesuit Bend, Naomi, Myrtle Grove, West Pointe A La Hache, Port Sulphur, Nairn, Empire, Buras, Triumph, and Bootheville. With the exception of the portion running through Port Sulphur, the entire highway is four lanes (although it is not controlled access). It is a critical hurricane evacuation route for thousands of inhabitants along the west bank of the Mississippi River.
onto Jackson Avenue in New Orleans. By 1986, it had been rerouted, running along the Westbank Expressway frontage road
s to Stumpf Boulevard and turning north on Stumpf and Franklin Avenue to end at Burmaster Street (LA 428
). The former LA 23 to 4th Street in downtown Gretna became an extension of LA 18
, while the three blocks beyond to the ferry (and Jackson Avenue in New Orleans) are now unnumbered.
Twinning of the highway in Plaquemines Parish was begun by Judge Perez
in the 1960s. The vertical lift bridge in Belle Chasse was added in 1968, and the Empire Jetty Bridge over Dollut Canal, a high-rise bridge, opened in 1976, replacing a 26-year old lift bridge.
State highway
State highway, state road or state route can refer to one of three related concepts, two of them related to a state or provincial government in a country that is divided into states or provinces :#A...
in Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
that serves Plaquemines and Jefferson Parishes
Jefferson Parish, Louisiana
Jefferson Parish is a parish in Louisiana, United States that includes most of the suburbs of New Orleans. The seat of parish government is Gretna....
. It spans 74.02 miles (119.12 km) in roughly a southeast/northwest direction. It is known locally as Belle Chasse Highway, Lafayette Street, the West Bank Expressway, and Franklin Avenue.
Route description
LA 23 connects GretnaGretna, Louisiana
The city of Gretna is the parish seat of Jefferson Parish, in the US state of Louisiana. Gretna is on the west bank of the Mississippi River, just east and across the river from uptown New Orleans. It is part of the New Orleans–Metairie–Kenner Metropolitan Statistical Area...
and Venice
Venice, Louisiana
Venice is an unincorporated community in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is 130 km south of New Orleans on the west bank of the Mississippi River at . It is the last community down the Mississippi accessible by automobile, and is the southern terminus of the Great River Road...
. Between Belle Chasse and Venice, the highway serves as the main road along the west bank of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
. In Belle Chasse, the highway crosses the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway
Gulf Intracoastal Waterway
The Gulf Intracoastal Waterway is the portion of the Intracoastal Waterway located along the Gulf Coast of the United States. It is a navigable inland waterway running approximately 1700 kilometers from Carrabelle, Florida, to Brownsville, Texas.The waterway provides a channel with a controlling...
via two antiquated crossings: southbound traffic uses the 1955-vintage Belle Chasse Tunnel
Belle Chasse Tunnel
The Belle Chasse Tunnel was built starting in March 1954 to accommodate the new branch of the Intracoastal Canal. After nearly two years of construction, the $2,436,000 structure opened in February 1956 with the Canal beginning operations later that year. The politicians in Plaquemines Parish...
, a narrow crossing that does not allow passing and northbound traffic uses the 1967-vintage Judge Perez Bridge
Judge Perez Bridge
The Judge Perez Bridge is a lift bridge in the US state of Louisiana which carries northbound Louisiana Highway 23 over the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway between Belle Chasse and Terrytown. The bridge is paired with the Belle Chasse Tunnel which carries southbound LA 23...
, a vertical lift bridge. LA 23 runs through the small rural towns of Jesuit Bend, Naomi, Myrtle Grove, West Pointe A La Hache, Port Sulphur, Nairn, Empire, Buras, Triumph, and Bootheville. With the exception of the portion running through Port Sulphur, the entire highway is four lanes (although it is not controlled access). It is a critical hurricane evacuation route for thousands of inhabitants along the west bank of the Mississippi River.
History
At one time, LA 23 ran straight across the Westbank Expressway (U.S. Highway 90 Business), using Lafayette Street, 5th Street and Huey P. Long Avenue through downtown Gretna and crossing the Jackson Avenue-Gretna FerryJackson Avenue-Gretna Ferry
The Jackson Avenue-Gretna Ferry is a ferry across the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana, connecting Jackson Avenue in New Orleans with Huey P. Long Avenue in Gretna. It carries automobiles for $1.00; bicycles and pedestrians for free...
onto Jackson Avenue in New Orleans. By 1986, it had been rerouted, running along the Westbank Expressway frontage road
Frontage road
A frontage road is a non-limited access road running parallel to a higher-speed road, usually a freeway, and feeding it at appropriate points of access...
s to Stumpf Boulevard and turning north on Stumpf and Franklin Avenue to end at Burmaster Street (LA 428
Louisiana Highway 428
Louisiana Highway 428 is a state highway in Louisiana that serves Jefferson and Orleans Parishes. It spans an irregular direction for . It exists entirely as a four lane, divided road....
). The former LA 23 to 4th Street in downtown Gretna became an extension of LA 18
Louisiana Highway 18
Louisiana Highway 18 is a state highway in Louisiana that serves Ascension, St. James, St. John the Baptist, St. Charles, and Jefferson Parishes. Called the Great River Road, it runs from west to east, parallel to the west bank of the Mississippi River, running from Donaldsonville to Gretna. It...
, while the three blocks beyond to the ferry (and Jackson Avenue in New Orleans) are now unnumbered.
Twinning of the highway in Plaquemines Parish was begun by Judge Perez
Leander Perez
Leander Henry Perez, Sr. , was the Democratic political boss of Plaquemines and St. Bernard parishes in southeastern Louisiana during the middle third of the 20th century. Officially, he served as a district judge, later as district attorney, and as president of the Plaquemines Parish Commission...
in the 1960s. The vertical lift bridge in Belle Chasse was added in 1968, and the Empire Jetty Bridge over Dollut Canal, a high-rise bridge, opened in 1976, replacing a 26-year old lift bridge.