Airline Highway

Airline Highway is a divided highway in the U.S. state of Louisiana, built in stages between 1925 and 1953 to bypass the older Jefferson Highway. It runs 115.6 miles (186.0 km),[1] carrying U.S. Highway 61 from New Orleans northwest to Baton Rouge and U.S. Highway 190 from Baton Rouge west over the Mississippi River on the Huey P. Long Bridge. US 190 continues west towards Opelousas on an extension built at roughly the same time.

Airline Highway
Route of the Airline Highway highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by Louisiana DOTD
Length	115.6 mi[1] (186.0 km)
Existed	1925 (planned); 1927 (first section opened); 1953 (last section opened)–present
Component highways	US 61 from New Orleans to Baton Rouge US 190 from Baton Rouge to near Krotz Springs
Major junctions
Southeast end	US 61 in New Orleans
	I-10 in New Orleans I-310 in St. Rose US 51 in LaPlace I-10 southeast of Sorrento I-12 / US 190 / I-110 / US 61 in Baton Rouge
Northwest end	US 190 east of Krotz Springs
Location
Parishes	Orleans, Jefferson, St. Charles, St. John the Baptist, St. James, Ascension, East Baton Rouge, West Baton Rouge, Pointe Coupee
Highway system
United States Numbered Highway System List Special Divided Louisiana Highway System Interstate U.S. State Scenic

The highway was named "Airline" because it runs relatively straight on a new alignment, rather than alongside the winding Mississippi River. (Compare with the similar term air-line railroad.) The name later became even more fitting, as both Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport and Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport were built along the highway. Airline Highway also runs close to the site of the old Baton Rouge airfield (near the intersection of Airline and Florida Boulevard, now a park and government office complex), which brings it within blocks of the similarly named Airport Avenue and Airway Drive.

History

The highway's origin is famously identified with Governor Huey P. Long, who advocated for a modern highway system in Louisiana. Though the project was underway when Long took office, most of its initial construction was completed during his administration. The Airline Highway was considered a pet project of Long's as it reduced the length of his journey between the capitol building in Baton Rouge and the bars and establishments in New Orleans, namely The Sazerac Bar in the Roosevelt Hotel.[2] Originally, Airline Highway was a two-lane road that ran from Prairieville to Shrewsbury. The first section, running between Williams Boulevard in Kenner and Shrewsbury Road, opened in June 1927.[3] It was begun by the Jefferson Parish Police Jury as a local road and incorporated into the plan for Airline Highway during construction.[4] The remainder of the highway was built between 1928 and 1933 by the Louisiana Highway Commission with federal aid, as the road would carry US 61 upon completion.

The section north of the spillway was officially opened on July 4, 1933,[5] and the section on the south side followed three weeks later.[6] (Various sections had been temporarily opened to traffic beginning in October 1931.) Completion of the bridge over the Bonnet Carré Spillway was delayed until 1935, necessitating a detour over the Jefferson Highway (River Road) via temporary gravel roads along the spillway guide levees.[7] The spillway bridge was opened to traffic on September 28, 1935[8] and dedicated on December 13.[9]

At this time, traffic was routed from Prairieville into Baton Rouge over the Jefferson Highway (today's LA 73). On the New Orleans end, travelers had the option to continue on Airline Highway and follow Metairie Road (the original route of Jefferson Highway) into town or transfer to the Jefferson Highway (today's LA 48) at Kenner and follow the direct connection onto South Claiborne Avenue completed in 1928.

The first improvements to the Airline Highway began in 1935 and consisted of widening and re-surfacing the Kenner-Shrewsbury link built a decade earlier. The new four-lane section from Williams Boulevard to Haring Road opened in October 1937.[10] The new four- and six-lane section from Haring Road to Labarre Road opened in December 1938.[11] The latter project included a slight re-alignment and extension on the Shrewsbury end. (Present-day Robertson Street is a remnant of the old alignment.) The eight-lane extension into Tulane Avenue (reached by a now-demolished six-lane bridge over the former New Basin Canal) was officially opened on August 26, 1940.[12]

Also in 1940, the Old Mississippi River Bridge opened in Baton Rouge. With this occurrence, a 7.9 mile bypass was built around the city that went to the Nesser Overpass, opening to traffic in July 1941—this bypass was part of Airline Highway, but it was not connected to the rest of the highway until 1953. A further extension continued west to the Atchafalaya Bridge at Krotz Springs. The remainder of the highway was multilaned in sections during the 1940s and the 1950s. For a short time in that decade, it was the longest toll-free four-lane highway in the nation, as the multilaned portion ran 124 miles from the Atchafalaya River to New Orleans.[13] The spillway bridge carried four very narrow lanes of traffic (often resulting in accidents) until 1984 when a parallel bridge was constructed.[14]

The majority of the New Orleans-Baton Rouge section was built parallel to the Louisiana Railway and Navigation Company, which was itself built later than the slightly longer Yazoo and Mississippi Valley Railroad. The former Louisiana Railway, now part of the Kansas City Southern Railway, crosses the Huey Long Bridge with the highway and splits to the northwest towards Shreveport; the extension to Opelousas parallels the New Orleans, Texas and Mexico Railway (later part of the Missouri Pacific Railroad).

Originally US Highways 65 and 51 were cosigned to Airline (65 the entire length, and 51 from LaPlace to New Orleans). In 1951, Louisiana truncated the route lengths, and the highway, with the exception of a portion in north Baton Rouge, is signed as US 61.

In an effort to clean up the highway's notorious history due to the seedy hotels and motels that once lined it, the portion in Jefferson Parish has been renamed Airline Drive.

Baton Rouge bypass

Sign showing the intersection of U.S. Highway 61 (Airline Highway) at U.S. Highway 51 in LaPlace, Louisiana

1955 Interstate Highway plans, showing the Baton Rouge bypass on the Airline Highway as an urban route (numbered I-410 by 1959)

The portion of the Airline Highway north and east of downtown Baton Rouge carries U.S. Highway 61 and U.S. Highway 190 around downtown, and includes several interchanges. The bypass was designated U.S. Highway 61/190 Bypass from 1957 to 1963, after which US 61 and US 190 were moved onto it, and their old routes through downtown became US 61 Business/US 190 Business. The bypass and business routes originally intersected in a traffic circle, which was replaced in 1963 by a cloverleaf interchange.

In the original 1955 plan for urban Interstate Highways, numbered by 1959, the Baton Rouge bypass was designated Interstate 410; it would have connected to Interstate 10 on both ends (as I-10 would have used the US 190 corridor immediately west of Baton Rouge, still crossing the Atchafalaya Swamp in its present location). The route was cancelled by the end of the 1960s, and the number was later reused for another I-410 (which itself was cancelled in 1977).

Major intersections

Parish	Location	mi[1]	km	Destinations	Notes
Orleans	New Orleans	0.0	0.0	US 61 south (Tulane Avenue)	Southeastern terminus; south end of US 61 concurrency
		0.1– 0.4	0.16– 0.64	I-10 west – N.O. Int'l Airport, Baton Rouge (northbound) I-10 east to US 90 Bus. – Westbank (southbound)	Exit 232 on I-10
Jefferson	Metairie	2.7– 3.2	4.3– 5.1	LA 3046 south (Causeway Boulevard) to US 90 (Jefferson Highway)	Interchange; northern terminus of LA 3046 (not signed)
		3.2	5.1	LA 611-9 (Severn Avenue)	Western terminus of LA 611-9; to Metairie Road
		3.7	6.0	To LA 3139 south (Earhart Expressway)	At Cleary Avenue
		4.3	6.9	LA 3152 north (Clearview Parkway) LA 3152 south (South Clearview Parkway) to LA 3139 (Earhart Expressway)
		6.2	10.0	LA 3154 south (Hickory Avenue) – Harahan	Northern terminus of LA 3154
		6.4	10.3	LA 3155 (Little Farms Avenue)	Northern terminus of LA 3155 (not signed)
	Kenner	8.3	13.4	LA 49 north (Williams Boulevard) to I-10	Southern terminus of LA 49
St. Charles	St. Rose	12.1	19.5	LA 50 (Almedia Road) – Almedia	Northern terminus of LA 50
		12.2– 13.5	19.6– 21.7	I-310 – Boutte, Baton Rouge	Exit 2 on I-310
	Destrehan	13.8	22.2	LA 626 (St. Rose Avenue) – Destrehan, St. Rose	Northern terminus of LA 626
	Norco	17.8	28.6	LA 627 (Prospect Avenue)	Northern terminus of LA 627
		18.9	30.4	LA 48 east (Apple Street)	Western terminus of LA 48
	​	19.6– 20.8	31.5– 33.5	U.S. 61 Bonnet Carré Spillway Bridge
	Montz	21.2	34.1	LA 628 west (CC Road) – Montz	Eastern terminus of LA 628
St. John the Baptist	LaPlace	22.1	35.6	LA 3217 south	Northern terminus of LA 3217
		23.2	37.3	LA 636-1 south (McReine Road)	Northern terminus of LA 636-1
		24.6	39.6	LA 44 west (Main Street)	Eastern terminus of LA 44
		24.7	39.8	US 51 north to I-10 / I-55	Southern terminus of US 51
		25.9	41.7	LA 3188 north (Belle Terre Boulevard) to I-10	Southern terminus of LA 3188
	Reserve	28.3	45.5	LA 3179 south (East 22nd Street)	Northern terminus of LA 3179
		29.0	46.7	LA 53 south (Central Avenue) – Reserve–Edgard Ferry	Northern terminus of LA 53
		29.8	48.0	LA 637 south (West 10th Street)	Northern terminus of LA 637
	Garyville	33.4	53.8	LA 54 south – Garyville, Mt. Airy	Northern terminus of LA 54
St. James	​	36.9	59.4	LA 641 north to I-10 LA 641 south to LA 3213 – Gramercy, Lutcher, Convent	LA 3213 southbound leads to Gramercy Bridge (not signed)
	Gramercy	38.2	61.5	LA 3274 (North Airline Avenue)	Northern terminus of LA 3274
Ascension	​	45.7– 46.4	73.5– 74.7	I-10 west – Baton Rouge (northbound) I-10 east – New Orleans (southbound)	Exit 187 on I-10
	​	46.5	74.8	LA 3140	Western terminus of LA 3140
	Sorrento	50.1	80.6	LA 22 – Sunshine Bridge, Donaldsonville
	Brittany	52.3	84.2	LA 30 – LSU LA 431 – Port Vincent, Denham Springs	Eastern terminus of LA 30; southern terminus of LA 431
	Gonzales	54.1	87.1	LA 939 (South Purpera Avenue)	Eastern terminus of LA 939
		54.5	87.7	LA 3038 (East Cornerview Street)	Eastern terminus of LA 3038
		54.8	88.2	LA 429 (Weber City Road, East Ascension Street)
		55.7	89.6	LA 44 (North Burnside Avenue)
	​	56.6	91.1	LA 74 west	Eastern terminus of LA 74
	​	57.7	92.9	LA 621
	Prairieville	60.6	97.5	LA 73 south (Old Jefferson Highway)	South end of LA 73 concurrency
		60.7	97.7	LA 73 north (Old Jefferson Highway)	North end of LA 73 concurrency
		61.9	99.6	LA 42 east	South end of LA 42 concurrency
		62.9	101.2	LA 427 (Perkins Road)
East Baton Rouge	​	65.2	104.9	LA 42 west / LA 948 (Highland Road)	North end of LA 42 concurrency; western terminus of LA 948
	Baton Rouge	68.9	110.9	LA 73 south (Jefferson Highway)	South end of LA 73 concurrency
		69.2	111.4	LA 3246 west (Siegen Lane)	Eastern terminus of LA 3246
	​	69.7– 69.9	112.2– 112.5	LA 73 north (Jefferson Highway)	Interchange; northbound exit and southbound entrance; North end of LA 73 concurrency
	Baton Rouge	71.0– 71.6	114.3– 115.2	I-12 – Baton Rouge, Hammond	Exit 2A–B on I-12
		71.9	115.7	LA 426 (Old Hammond Highway)
		73.5– 73.8	118.3– 118.8	US 190 east (Florida Boulevard) – Hammond US 61 Bus. / US 190 Bus. (Florida Boulevard)	Interchange; east end of US 190 concurrency; Southeastern terminus of US 61/190 Business
		75.4– 75.7	121.3– 121.8	LA 37 (Greenwell Springs Road) – Baton Rouge, Greenwell Springs	Interchange
		78.7– 79.4	126.7– 127.8	LA 67 (Plank Road) – Baker–Zachary, Clinton	Interchange
		79.1– 79.8	127.3– 128.4	I-110 – Baton Rouge, Natchez	Exit 5B on I-110; to Metro Airport and St. Francisville (secondary signage)
		80.1– 80.4	128.9– 129.4	US 61 north (Scenic Highway) – Scotlandville US 61 Bus. / US 190 Bus. (Scenic Highway)	Interchange; north end of US 61 concurrency; northwestern terminus of US 61/190 Business; to Southern University
East Baton Rouge– West Baton Rouge line	​	81.3– 82.5	130.8– 132.8	Huey P. Long Bridge over Mississippi River
West Baton Rouge	​	82.5– 82.7	132.8– 133.1	LA 1 south to I-10 – Port Allen, Plaquemine	Interchange; east end of LA 1 concurrency
	Lobdell	85.2	137.1	LA 415 (Plantation Avenue) to I-10	Interchange
		85.8	138.1	LA 415 Spur south (North Lobdell Highway) to I-10 / I-12 / I-110	Westbound entrance and eastbound exit; Northern terminus of LA 415 Spur
	Westover	86.6	139.4	LA 1145 south (Calumet Road)	Northern terminus of LA 1145
	​	90.5	145.6	LA 983 north (Bueche Road)	Southern terminus of LA 983
	Erwinville	95.2	153.2	LA 413 (Poydras Bayou Road) to I-10 – Rosedale, Lakeland
Pointe Coupee	​	97.2	156.4	LA 1 north (Wye Road) – New Roads, Marksville	West end of LA 1 concurrency
	Torbert	100.4	161.6	LA 978 north (Bigman Lane)	Southern terminus of LA 978
	Livonia	104.4	168.0	LA 78 (Mississippi River Trail) – False River, New Roads, St. Francisville LA 411 (Maringouin Road East) – Maringouin, Rosedale, Ramah	Southern terminus of LA 78; northern terminus of LA 411
		104.5	168.2	LA 77 (Fordoche Road, Maringouin Road West) to I-10 – Maringouin, Fordoche
	Blanks	106.9	172.0	LA 976	Northern terminus of LA 976
	Lottie	109.4	176.1	LA 81 (Charles Road) – Fordoche, Morganza
	​	110.8– 114.4	178.3– 184.1	Bridge over Morganza Spillway
	​	115.4	185.7	LA 975 – Sherburne, Sherburne Wildlife Management Area	Interchange; northern terminus of LA 975
	​	115.6	186.0	US 190 west – Opelousas	Northwestern terminus; west end of US 190 conurrency; At Atchafalaya River Bridge
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       Incomplete access

References

1. Google (July 14, 2013). "Overview Map of Airline Highway" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
2. Mahne, Theodore P. (June 30, 2009). "Huey Long just one chapter of storied history of New Orleans' Roosevelt Hotel, which reopens Wednesday". The Times-Picayune. New Orleans, LA. Retrieved May 3, 2015.
3. "News of Metairie and the highway". The Times-Picayune. New Orleans. June 1, 1927. p. 36.
4. "Airline route to state capital is feasible project". The Times-Picayune. New Orleans. July 19, 1925. p. 4–1.
5. "Opening of airline route announced". The Times-Picayune. New Orleans. July 4, 1933. p. 1.
6. "Road to capital cut by opening of new section". The Times-Picayune. New Orleans. July 29, 1933. pp. 2–11.
7. "Driving distance to Baton Rouge will be reduced". The Times-Picayune. New Orleans. May 1, 1935. p. 1.
8. "Spillway bridge may be ready for use on Saturday". The Times-Picayune. New Orleans. September 24, 1935. p. 1.
9. "Throng to rally at Bonnet Carre Spillway today". The Times-Picayune. New Orleans. December 13, 1935. p. 1.
10. "Shrewsbury-Kenner Air Line Highway link open to traffic". The Times-Picayune. New Orleans. October 30, 1937. p. 1.
11. "Short-cut road on Baton Rouge route is opened". The Times-Picayune. New Orleans. December 20, 1938. p. 3.
12. "Air-Line Highway bridge ceremony slated Monday". The Times-Picayune New Orleans States. New Orleans. August 25, 1940. p. 1.
13. "Nation's longest toll-free four-lane highway nearing finish". The Times-Picayune New Orleans States. New Orleans. August 17, 1952. p. 2.
14. "New bridge over spillway opens quietly". The Times-Picayune/The States-Item. New Orleans. March 30, 1984. pp. 1–26.

External links

• LA DOTD website