re: What was louisiana like before the interstate?

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in New Orleans, the Pontchartrain Expressway was designed separately from and predated I-10. It WAS, however, built in conjunction with the new Mississippi River Bridge and the (old, ground level) West Bank Expressway.

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Don't forget there was a proposal to build The Vieux Carré Expressway along the river through the Quarter.

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The elevated freeway plan aroused citizens of New Orleans' Vieux Carre area who maintained the structure would mar the famous French Quarter in the Jackson Square area. A series of studies, authorized by the State and the Federal Highway Administration, established the feasibility of building a surface road which would be hidden by an existing seawall. This will require relocation and consolidation of railroad tracks in the area and some revamping of a levee along the Mississippi River. This concept finally has won the approval of the New Orleans City Council, the City Planning Commission, the Board of Port Commissioners, the Orleans Levee Board, and the Public Belt Railroad. Since the Vieux Carre area is listed in the National Register, a national trust for historic preservation established by Congress in 1966, the Riverfront Expressway project must be submitted to the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation for comment before final approval can be given.

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LINK

Powhatan, la was the king of piss hole speed trap towns. Driving through there now on 1 it consists of a couple shacks, a project, and a post office. No need for cops to even try to catch the 8 cars coming next through daily speeding. Bunkie was about as bad.

Water

Road trips from New Orleans to just north of Baton Rouge was a all day thing. Road side Mon/Pop places to eat were in. Airline was the route. Laplace was a sleepy town. Everything from there to BR was country.

So yes, I lived it. Had even used to fish off I10 bridge in New Orleans east when they were building it.

I-49 before it was complete you had to get off in Turkey Creek and take 71 thru Alexandria and then get back on I-49. That was around early 1990’s.

Prior to that you too US 71 thru Funkie Bunkie, Lea’s restaurant’s was the place, and small towns that were speed traps.

I-10 from LAF to BR was built late 60’s or early 70’s. Prior to that you took 190 to Opelousas and then down to Lafayette.

I-110 ended at Hollywood street in the 70’s. People would get drunk, run over the road block signs, and drive off the end of the elevated highway.

Leaving B.R. after a Tiger game, going west on 190 just outside B.R there was a stretch of roadway with a large median between the east / west bound lanes. The median was filled with miles of oak trees that were fairly close to each other. For miles. At some point in time, the State cut all those oak trees down because there were so many fatalities from cars running (again, post game) off the road and hitting those trees.

Wonderful

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The median was filled with miles of oak trees that were fairly close to each other. For miles. At some point in time, the State cut all those oak trees down because there were so many fatalities from cars running (again, post game) off the road and hitting those trees.

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190 up from New Orleans all the way to BR and north of the old bridge had live oaks planted on the side of the road. There still are some left on the Port Allen side.

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Dumb

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Nope, it's faster.

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Who knows what you're going to run into on 71.

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I know. 62.

My dad told stories of the old days (1950s) when the main route to Texas was US 190- and there were times when it would flood. So watching the weather was a lot more important (and more difficult, I'm sure) in those days prior to traveling.