Atchafalaya Basin Bridge
| Atchafalaya Basin Bridge | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Coordinates | 30°19′57″N 91°45′33″W / 30.33250°N 91.75917°W |
| Carries | 4 lanes of  I-10
|
| Crosses | Atchafalaya Basin |
| Locale | Iberville Parish / St. Martin Parish, Louisiana, USA |
| Other name(s) | 20 mile bridge |
| Maintained by | LA DOTD |
| Characteristics | |
| Total length | 96,095 ft (29,290 m) |
| History | |
| Opened | 1973 |
The Atchafalaya Basin Bridge, also known as the Louisiana Airborne Memorial Bridge, is a pair of parallel bridges in the U.S. state of Louisiana between Baton Rouge and Lafayette which carries Interstate 10 over the Atchafalaya Basin. With a total length of 96,095 feet (29,290 m) or 18.2 miles, it is the 3rd longest bridge in the US and the second longest on the interstate system and fourteenth-longest in the world by total length.
The bridge includes two exits: one for Whiskey Bay (LA 975) and another for Butte La Rose (LA 3177). While the bridges run parallel for most of their length, they merge when crossing the Whiskey Bay Pilot Channel and the Atchafalaya River. The average daily traffic count is (as of 2011) 24,540 vehicles.
Accidents occur frequently near the two river crossings as both are very narrow and lack shoulders. Accidents along the bridge can be problematic as the Atchafalaya Basin is sparsely inhabited. In 1999, Governor Mike Foster lowered the speed limit on the bridge from 70 MPH to 60 MPH. In 2003, the Louisiana Legislature enacted new traffic regulations for the bridge. The speed limit for 18-wheelers was lowered to 55 MPH, and they must remain in the right lane while crossing the bridge.
The United States Army Airborne Forces (paratroopers and glider soldiers) was created by executive order and the 82nd Airborne Division was formed at Camp Claiborne, Louisiana in March 1942. One of the main objectives of the division, and all airborne divisions was for paratroopers and glider borne forces to seize bridges for regular follow on forces to use. The 82nd Airborne Division Association put forth a challenge in 1988, to member chapters in all states, to pursue having a bridge in their state designated as an Airborne Memorial Bridge.
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