Do You Know The Actual Name Of The I-10 Bridge In Lake Charles?

We know that one of the hot topics lately in Lake Charles and Southwest Louisiana is the I-10 bridge in Lake Charles. We have been on top of the news as the DOTD has announced that they intend to build a new I-10 bridge in Lake Charles.

They have gone so far as to release pictures of what the new bridge and the interstate that runs from Lake Charles to Sulphur will look like including the new exits in the Westlake, Louisiana area. Have you seen the pictures?  See them here.

Looks really nice huh? One of the things that have Lake Charles and Southwest Louisiana residents upset is the fact that they are talking about making it a toll road. That would mean that not only people who drive up and down I-10 to travel but the local residents would have to pay a toll every time they go over the bridge. We will have to see what happens.

We started thinking about the I-10 bridge as it sits now. If you love history, you will find some of these facts about the current bridge pretty interesting. Something we didn't know was the actual name of the bridge. As long as I have been alive living here in Lake Charles, we have called it the I-10 bridge or the Calcasieu River Bridge. We were surprised to learn that that's NOT the actual name of the bridge.

Here is the actual name of the I-10 bridge and other interesting facts about the current I-10 Bridge.

• The actual name of the I-10 bridge is the Louisiana Memorial World War II Bridge which was named in June of 1951.

• The bridge opened in 1952 for traffic

• If you have never noticed when you go over the bridge, there is ironwork with crossed guns on the railings which some believe is a reference to Jean Lafitte and the pirates who came to Lake Charles at one time.

• Before the I-10 bridge was built, people who were traveling through the area traveled down Highway 90 and if you wanted to get into Lake Charles, you had to cross the Calcasieu River over a draw bridge located by the Port of Lake Charles on Shell Beach Drive in Lake Charles.

• The I-10 bridge was built under Louisiana Gov. Earl K. Long's administration.

• The I-210 Bridge construction started in 1962 as part of the South Lake Charles bypass or some call it the 210 loop.

Pretty neat to know huh? Now let's see when the new bridge will come to the area.