Louisiana Cultural Vistas - Winter 2008 - (Page 52)

Spanning the ages The Bayou State’s riverine terrain requires numerous bridges In the 1990s when the western bank of the Red Morgan City Railroad Bridge, circa 1911 River in Shreveport was landscaped to create RiverView Park, the civic-improvement project opened up an architectural feature rarely seen: the supporting structure of the Texas Street Bridge. Similar waterfront developments in other cities, notably Alexandria, have also allowed the aesthetic as well as the engineering aspects of bridge design to be admired. The massive ovoid masonry piers of Shreveport’s bridge present a textural counterpoint to the metal framework and powerfully attest to the weight of this superstructure. Built in 1934 (its official name is the Long-Allen Bridge), this cantilevered through truss bridge is now ornamented with neon lights, making for a dazzling nighttime appearance — an architecture of both day and night. Less easy to access and see, but worth the effort, are the supports of the Huey Long Bridge in Jefferson Parish. Before these pointed-arched supports were encased to strengthen the widening of this combination century. Replacing ferries with bridges was central to the growth railroad/highway bridge, the 180-foot-tall Gothic arches formed of the United States. Recognizing the importance of bridges to an open arcade. Viewed from the bank, the arches striding across American history, in 1969 the National Park Service set up a the river brought to mind the nave of a Gothic cathedral. In special division—the Historic American Engineering Record angular contrast is the repetitive cross-bracing of the metal trestles (HAER)— to document and record these and similar structures. that support the railroad’s gently-inclined approaches to the The preservation and rehabilitation of historic bridges is actively bridge. Constructed in 1933-1935, this 977-foot long cantilevered pursued throughout the nation. truss bridge soars over the river to make an architecture of visual Because of its many waterways, Louisiana is a treasure trove for and experiential drama. Before the lanes were widened, driving the architecture of bridges. From the modest bridges crossing across was a thrilling if somewhat terrifying experience. creeks and bayous to the impressive leaps over the Red and While rivers have always served as a means of transportation, Mississippi rivers and the huge spans over the Rigolets and Lake they also could prove a barrier to movement — even trains were Pontchartrain, there are bridges of all sizes and types. transported across rivers on railroad ferries as late as the 20th The most common type of bridge during the 19th and well into the 20th century is the metal truss, and The U.S. 165 Business Bridge, also known as the Gillis Long Bridge, connects there are many varieties of truss systems. Shreveport has Alexandria and Pineville. The bridge is named after U.S. Representative Gillis Long, a fine Waddell A-frame truss over Cross Bayou. Originally who represented Louisiana’s Eighth Congressional District. built in the 1890s over the Arkansas River in Oklahoma, it was moved and reassembled at Cross Bayou in 1926. The 100-foot-long through truss span is supported on concrete piers. Engineer John A.L. Waddell patented this short-span railroad bridge design in 1894 and the form was used widely in the United States for the simplicity of its construction and the minimal number of prefabricated parts it needed. More than a thousand bridges in the United States are attributed to Waddell and he is especially important for his designs of lift and swing bridges. He was a premier authority on bridge design and published several books on the subject, including The Designing of Ordinary Highway Bridges (1884). A Waddell truss was employed for the Caddo Lake Bridge at Mooringsport built by Waddell and Harrington 52 LOUISIANA ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES\Winter 2008-09

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Louisiana Cultural Vistas - Winter 2008

Louisiana Cultural Vistas - Winter 2008 Contents Friends Editor's Column Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities Prospect.1 New Orleans The Historic New Orleans Collection The Enduring Performance of Michael P. Smith Jazz Notes Louisiana Foodways Birds of a Feather: Windfowl Carvings in Southeast Louisiana Louisiana Association of Museums Louisiana Architecture O. Winston Link in Louisiana The Ogden Museum of Southern Art The Colfax Massacre Louisiana State Museum Unlocking the History of Greek Key Architecture Bookstand Sound Advice Forum

Louisiana Cultural Vistas - Winter 2008

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