Pontchartrain Causeway

 

A quick and heartful thanks to all that nominated my journal

 

Pontchartrain Causeway

 

  We are now in Livingston, Texas, our home park of the Escapee RV Club.   Fulltimers, like all others should have a legal domicile, and this is just one of the benefits  the Escapee club offers.  When we decided to go on this adventure, we needed to associate ourselves with a new state.  As much as we love Massachusetts, the taxes are high.  A couple of years before we retired, we started researching all our future possibilities regarding this new lifestyle.  That's when we found the Escapee's, with their arms wide open, welcoming new folks to Texas.  Texas has no income tax, which appealed to us.  Next  we found that they have developed a booklet just for folks like us, called "How To Become a Real Texan,"  what more could we hope for?     Anyway, I have strayed off the subject. 

 

I wanted to tell you about the Pontchartrain Causeway.  This is a bridge like no other crossing over Lake Pontchartrain, which I'm sure you remember as the lake that flooded over the land with Katrina.   This causeway or bridge  consists of two parallels , 24 mile-long spans making it the world's longest overwater highway bridge. The twin bridges are supported by more than 9,500 hollow-cylinder pilings approximately 55 inches in diameter; the largest piles ever driven at the time of the first span's construction in 1955.  This is one busy bridge, servicing more than 3,500 vehicles durning a peak hour.   It's a toll road that is so long that  for 8 miles, you can't see land!

 

This was posted the day before we left as it was windy and rainy:

 

Advisory Posted: Monday, October 16, 2006 at 08:14 AM

CAUTION: There are high crosswinds on the Causeway. Be especially careful in the vicinity of the crossovers. High wind conditions may cause your vehicle to drift down wind. If necessary, reduce speed to maintain proper control of your vehicle. Due to severe weather, motorcycles, recreational vehicles and glass trucks will not be permitted on the Causeway until conditions improve. CAUTION: There is light to moderate rain on the Causeway. The roadway is wet and may be slippery in some areas. For your safety, turn on your headlights and reduce speed.

 

The pictures above are not mine, but thought you might like to see them.