Blake Pontchartrain: The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway has been around for nearly 70 years
- Apr 4, 2026
The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway
Photo by David Grunfeld / The Times-Picayune
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Hey Blake,
While driving the Causeway across Lake Pontchartrain recently, two questions came to mind. How long did it take to build, and was it always a toll bridge? If so, how much was the first toll?
Dear reader,
The story of the 24-mile Lake Pontchartrain Causeway’s creation begins in 1948 when the state legislature put a constitutional amendment before voters. It authorized a $30 million bond issue to finance the bridge’s construction.
“The causeway would be modeled after the famous causeways of Biscayne Bay, Fla. and the Zuider Zee, Holland,” reported a May 1948 New Orleans States article.
Many business leaders backed the plan, saying the bridge would “bring people living in the Ozone Belt 25 to 30 miles closer [to] the city,” according to an October 1948 New Orleans Item article. The next month, voters approved the amendment.
Construction began in May 1955 and was completed by Aug. 30, 1956, at a cost of $57 million. Some 600 cars traveled across on the first day. “It was a ride right out of this world — and right into Jefferson Parish and right into the piney woods of St. Tammany,” wrote New Orleans Item reporter Thomas Sancton as he chronicled his trip across on opening day. “The hot summer-baked streets of city life gave way to cool breezes … this is a ride you have to make to believe.”
The southbound bridge is the original bridge, featuring two lanes of traffic when it opened: one northbound and one southbound. A second span, today’s northbound span, was opened on May 10, 1969.
The bridge has always had a toll, which has increased over time. For instance, in 2017, it increased to $5 (or $3 with a toll tag). And in 2023, the price went up again to $3.40 for toll tag owners and $6 for other drivers.