Old Hammond Highway
Encyclopedia
Old Hammond Highway is the designation for what was the main traffic route between New Orleans, Louisiana
, and Hammond, Louisiana
, United States, for a short time in the early 20th century. It was largely replaced by U.S. Highway 51
. Parts of the roadway followed natural ridges in the land; other parts were built on pilings and fill through swamp
.
The New Orleans-Hammond Lakeshore Highway was part of Louisiana Highway 33 in the original state highway numbering system (changed in 1955 to the current system). The route of Highway 33 was defined by the state legislature in 1921 as follows:
At that time, the only pre-existing portion of the New Orleans-Hammond route was between Hammond and Ponchatoula. The road through the swamp south of Ponchatoula and around the south shore of Lake Pontchartrain to New Orleans was constructed in the 1920s. A canal was dredged through the swamp with the spoils piled up on the side of the canal to form an embankment which was then covered with gravel and shells.
The portion of the route between Ponchatoula and Frenier, which included a bridge over Pass Manchac
, was opened in 1927. It later became part of U.S. Highway 51 (which departed from the lakeshore road at Frenier and continued south to Laplace
) and was eventually blacktopped. Over the years, the road suffered from subsidence and was replaced by a new Highway 51 in the late 1950s. This road was then replaced in the 1980s by the present U.S. 51 / I-55 elevated roadway. The former alignment of U.S. 51 lies just to the east of the current alignment and is still drivable. The original 1927 road can be seen just to the east of the 1950s road but is not drivable.
Whether or not the portion of the New Orleans-Hammond Highway between Frenier and the St. Charles
/Jefferson Parish Line was actually constructed is debatable. According to the 1945 edition of the Jefferson Parish Yearly Review, two miles of the roadway embankment in this section was severed in 1933 for the construction of the Bonnet Carré Spillway
.
The remaining section through Jefferson Parish and into New Orleans was likely constructed sometime between 1929 and 1933. The 1929 Sanborn map showing the Bucktown and West End neighborhoods on the Orleans/Jefferson Parish Line shows it as still being under construction in that area. The 1945 edition of the Jefferson Parish Yearly Review states that at the time the Bonnet Carre Spillway was constructed in 1933, the road through Jefferson Parish was "entirely usable." The roadway embankment provided the only flood protection for the community of Metairie
from the waters of Lake Pontchartrain. By 1945, it had eroded considerably and was no longer adequate in terms of flood protection. That year, construction of the current levee system was proposed. Today less than a mile of the road, lying on either side of the 17th Street Canal
on the Jefferson/Orleans Parish Line, still exists.
There is also a road in the Baton Rouge area called Old Hammond Highway, which was part of the original route between those two cities later assumed by U.S. Highway 190
.
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
, and Hammond, Louisiana
Hammond, Louisiana
Hammond is the largest city in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 20,049 at the 2009 census. It is home to Southeastern Louisiana University...
, United States, for a short time in the early 20th century. It was largely replaced by U.S. Highway 51
U.S. Route 51
U.S. Route 51 is a north–south United States highway that runs for 1,286 miles from the western suburbs of New Orleans, Louisiana to within of the Wisconsin-Michigan border. Much of the highway in Illinois and southern Wisconsin runs parallel to or overlaps Interstate 39...
. Parts of the roadway followed natural ridges in the land; other parts were built on pilings and fill through swamp
Swamp
A swamp is a wetland with some flooding of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a large number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types of swamp are "true" or swamp...
.
The New Orleans-Hammond Lakeshore Highway was part of Louisiana Highway 33 in the original state highway numbering system (changed in 1955 to the current system). The route of Highway 33 was defined by the state legislature in 1921 as follows:
- Beginning at South Carrollton Avenue and New Basin CanalNew Basin CanalThe New Basin Canal, also known as the New Orleans Canal and the New Canal, was a shipping canal in New Orleans, Louisiana from the 1830s through the 1940s....
New Orleans, both sides of the New Basin Canal as far as the New Basin Canal to West EndWest End, New OrleansWest End is a neighborhood of the city of New Orleans. A subdistrict of the Lakeview District Area, its boundaries as defined by the City Planning Commission are: Lake Pontchartrain to the north, the New Basin Canal and Pontchartrain Boulevard to the east, Robert E. Lee Boulevard to the south and...
thence along the shore of Lake PontchartrainLake PontchartrainLake Pontchartrain is a brackish estuary located in southeastern Louisiana. It is the second-largest inland saltwater body of water in the United States, after the Great Salt Lake in Utah, and the largest lake in Louisiana. As an estuary, Pontchartrain is not a true lake.It covers an area of with...
, through La Branche, Ruddock, Stradder, Ponchatoula, Hammond, Amite, Kentwood, to a point on the MississippiMississippiMississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
State Line.
At that time, the only pre-existing portion of the New Orleans-Hammond route was between Hammond and Ponchatoula. The road through the swamp south of Ponchatoula and around the south shore of Lake Pontchartrain to New Orleans was constructed in the 1920s. A canal was dredged through the swamp with the spoils piled up on the side of the canal to form an embankment which was then covered with gravel and shells.
The portion of the route between Ponchatoula and Frenier, which included a bridge over Pass Manchac
Manchac, Louisiana
Manchac is a small unincorporated community in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is part of the Hammond Micropolitan Statistical Area....
, was opened in 1927. It later became part of U.S. Highway 51 (which departed from the lakeshore road at Frenier and continued south to Laplace
Laplace, Louisiana
LaPlace is a census-designated place in St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana, United States, along the east bank of the Mississippi River in the New Orleans metropolitan area. The population is 32,134 at the 2010 census....
) and was eventually blacktopped. Over the years, the road suffered from subsidence and was replaced by a new Highway 51 in the late 1950s. This road was then replaced in the 1980s by the present U.S. 51 / I-55 elevated roadway. The former alignment of U.S. 51 lies just to the east of the current alignment and is still drivable. The original 1927 road can be seen just to the east of the 1950s road but is not drivable.
Whether or not the portion of the New Orleans-Hammond Highway between Frenier and the St. Charles
St. Charles Parish, Louisiana
St. Charles Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Hahnville. In 2010, its population was 52,780. In the eighteenth and nineteenth century, this was part of the German Coast, an area along the Mississippi River settled by numerous German pioneers in the...
/Jefferson Parish Line was actually constructed is debatable. According to the 1945 edition of the Jefferson Parish Yearly Review, two miles of the roadway embankment in this section was severed in 1933 for the construction of the Bonnet Carré Spillway
Bonnet Carré Spillway
The Bonnet Carré Spillway is a flood control operation in the Lower Mississippi Valley. Located in St. Charles Parish, Louisiana - about west of New Orleans - it allows floodwaters from the Mississippi River to flow into Lake Pontchartrain and thence into the Gulf of Mexico...
.
The remaining section through Jefferson Parish and into New Orleans was likely constructed sometime between 1929 and 1933. The 1929 Sanborn map showing the Bucktown and West End neighborhoods on the Orleans/Jefferson Parish Line shows it as still being under construction in that area. The 1945 edition of the Jefferson Parish Yearly Review states that at the time the Bonnet Carre Spillway was constructed in 1933, the road through Jefferson Parish was "entirely usable." The roadway embankment provided the only flood protection for the community of Metairie
Metairie, Louisiana
Metairie is a census-designated place in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States and is a major part of the New Orleans Metropolitan Area. Metairie is the largest community in Jefferson Parish. It is an unincorporated area that would be larger than most of the state's cities if it were...
from the waters of Lake Pontchartrain. By 1945, it had eroded considerably and was no longer adequate in terms of flood protection. That year, construction of the current levee system was proposed. Today less than a mile of the road, lying on either side of the 17th Street Canal
17th Street Canal
The 17th Street Canal is a drainage canal in Greater New Orleans, Louisiana, that flows into Lake Pontchartrain. The canal forms a significant portion of the boundary between the city of New Orleans and Metairie, Louisiana...
on the Jefferson/Orleans Parish Line, still exists.
There is also a road in the Baton Rouge area called Old Hammond Highway, which was part of the original route between those two cities later assumed by U.S. Highway 190
U.S. Route 190
U.S. Route 190, also known as the Ronald Reagan Memorial Highway, is an east–west United States highway in Louisiana and Texas. It evolved from the shortest of intrastate routes in 1926 to a length comparable to a main Interstate Highway route, leading from the swamps and pine forests of...
.
See also
- LA 613-1Louisiana Highway 613-1Louisiana Highway 613-1 is an unsigned state highway in Louisiana that serves Jefferson Parish. Better known as the Metairie-Hammond Highway, it spans from west to east.-Route description:...
(part of the Old Hammond Highway still in use) - LA 426Louisiana Highway 426Louisiana Highway 426 is a state highway in Louisiana that serves East Baton Rouge Parish. It spans in a west to east direction. It is known locally as Old Hammond Highway.-Route description:...
(Old Hammond Highway in Baton Rouge)