The World's Longest Overwater Bridge (the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway Lucille Doublets nephew Claude Doublet of Mobile is a U.S. Air Force veteran retired MFD FIREFIGHTER.Claude is now in his early 80s and is the widower of Bernice Hickman, my wifes cousin and a descendant of the Creole family Colin which was changed by the British to Collins. Travel experts have called it scary for drivers, who might feel the wind whipping across the bridge. Tragedy on Lake Pontchartrain- 1931 - CreoleGen The bridges are supported by 9,500 concrete pilings. George and Elva were planning to marry so she used the money for the wedding to build the tomb. Bloody Mary, however, doesnt think Brown laid any kind of curse on the town. The cost to improve the walls on both spans is roughly estimated at $50 million. On certain tours, the guides take people past a run-down swamp graveyard marked "1915"its a prop, but a good place to tell people that Browns ghost still haunts the swamp, as do the souls of those who perished in the hurricane. The bus driver and an Army sergeant were rescued by a teenager who arrived at the scene moments after the crash. Bridge commission officials estimated that 10 days would be required to replace the four sections. Opened in 1928 and known as the Watson-Williams Pontchartrain Bridge and, later, the Maestri Bridge, the 4.8-mile structure was the first to carry vehicles across Lake Pontchartrain, long before I . Bridge officials contracted with the Texas A&M Transportation Institute to come up with designs to improve the bridge's retaining walls, and the institute is expected to make a recommendation by the end of the year. Darkness set in and everything came to a halt. Causeway police are cracking down on speeders, careless drivers and other traffic offenders on the 24-mile bridge in the wake of two recent fatal accidents in which vehicles went off the bridge and into Lake Pontchartrain. Current Price. They selected a section of the lake where the water was no more than knee deep since most of them could not swim. Due to his lobbying and vision, the Louisiana Legislature created what is now the Causeway Commission. A modern New Orleans voodoo priestess, Bloody Mary, told Mental Floss she has found references to a voodoo priestess or queen by the name of Brown who worked in New Orleans around the 1860s before moving out to Frenier. So . Georges brother, Milton Labeaud, was one of the three witnesses to the entire incident. 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Bridge accidents are unique in that you may not have the ability to move about or get to the side of the road or a grassy area as you would on another roadway. The legend of Julia Brown has become the area's most popular ghost story, spreading to paranormal shows and even Reddit, where some claim to have seen Brown cackling at the edge of the water. Thats just one misconception circulating about the Lake Pontchartrain Basin, which is home to 2.1 million people and even more animals, fish, and insects. through a flooded intersection crowded with survivors awaiting rescue at the St. Finally,a special thanks to Phil Gagnet for submitting the grave photo to us. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Mabel Soublet Labeaud was my mothers sister. NEW ORLEANS . Read:Woman Celebrates After Conquering Her Fear of Bridges. I love that you and Jane brought this forth together. On Nov. 3,a man died after a garbage truck plowed into a work crew on the bridge, sending a construction vehicle and its driver into the lake about 4 miles from the north shore. Jayne Mansfield roadside memorial - Virtual Globetrotting She would talk about this all the time. An officer found the woman, but before he could escort her off the bridge, police say she ran away toward Jefferson Parish. 6 Die in Lake Pontchartrain as Bus Plunges Off Bridge Hit by Barges If you've been injured in a car accident, call a New Orleans personal injury attorney at (504) 564-7342 to discuss your case. Watch:Chihuahua Leads Cops on a 'High-Speed Pursuit' Across Bridge, Veteran Aviator and Student Pilot He Helped Land After She Lost Her Nose Gear Take to the Skies Together, Oklahoma Man Charged After Allegedly Covering Up the Murder of the Woman His Wife Was Having an Affair With, Texas Man Continued His Date After Cops Say He Fatally Shot Someone Over $40, Autistic Artist Sebastian Franco Hopes to See Northern Lights as He Contemplates Going Completely Blind, Lori Vallow Daybell's Sister: 'You Expect Me to Just Keep Believing Without Ever Having a Question?'. Put on your headlights. It is always best to take a cautious approach to injuries. Chihuahua Leads Police on High Speed Puppy Pursuit Across Bridge. While there are plenty of walking paths in New Orleans, including its expansive Mississippi River trails, there are not a lot of places to hike in the city. This scary bridge, also known simply asThe Causeway, was constructed in just fourteen months, and opened on August 30, 1956. 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. Lake Pontchartrain Causeway - New Orleans, Louisiana - Atlas Obscura What are the other names and dates on the tombstone? 9 amazing hiking trails near New Orleans, mapped. If you have the unfortunate circumstance of being a victim of a car accident while on the bridge, you will likely have to wait a long time for help. This bridge is long and can be both boring and dangerous. "I've told our (bridge) commissioners to go 65. The search was resumed early the next day, Monday, June 8, 1931, as two fishermen, Robert and Lucien Boutee of North Shore, braved the high winds and rough waters to recover the last victims: Elva Gagnet, Alma Gagnet and George Labeaud. This fact helped to collaborate the witnesses account of the six holding hands as they disappeared. It was sent to us by Phil Gagnet, a relative of "Enforcement has really been ratcheted up," bridge General Manager Carlton Dufrechou said Wednesday (Dec. 3). lake pontchartrain bridge deaths - Ask for Idea Enter your email address to have CreoleGen sent directly to you, cher! The fastest driver cited was traveling 87 mph. Brown, sometimes also called Julie White or Julia Black, is described in local legend as a voodoo priestess who lived at the edge of the swamp and worked with residents of the town of Frenier. "We've become tied to (cell phones). While Alaskas Cape William Moore Bridge looks like an ordinary way to get from point A to point B, don't look down because it's over an active earthquake fault. Barge Hits Bridge; Truck and Car Fall In Louisiana Channel Hi Phil, Would your relatives happen to be victims of this horrible teagedy, I believe Alma and Elva were my moms aunts!!!! When it was confirmed on Monday morning, 8 June 1931, that six young friends from the Treme neighborhood had drowned the day before in the waters of Lake Pontchartrain; hundreds of relatives, friends and neighbors crowded into the homes of the deceased to comfort their families. Cvitanovich's report says 22-year-old Nathalie . They also buried Alma with them. This was my mothers Aunt. The beautiful Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California stretches three miles long and is a mile wide. The Louisiana Bridge Company was formed to construct the bridge, which in turn appointed James E. Walters Sr. to direct the project. A Real Vodou Priestess on Cleansing Your Home of Evil Spirits and Negative Energy. From 1969 until 2011, it was listed byGuinness World Recordsas thelongest bridge over water in the world.Pic: Richard Palmisano. They (whites) have West End, Spanish Fort, and Milneburg, and what do we have?.If the lives of six whites had been lost, there would be stern protests from the business men of the city demanding that immediate steps be taken to make impossible such a catastrophe again., The editorial ended by stating that our people have been guaranteed a bathing beach for next year (1932). Since starting his firm in 1999, Stewart J. Guss has had the honor of representing clients from all over the world, helping them recover from even the most catastrophic injuries. It covers an area of 630 square miles (1,600 km 2) with an average depth of 12 to 14 feet (3.7 to 4.3 m).Some shipping channels are kept deeper through dredging.It is roughly oval in shape, about 40 miles (64 km) from west to east and 24 miles (39 km) from . Flick a cigarette butt into the street? Perhaps Brown even tried to perform an anti-storm ritual and was unable to stop the hurricane before it was too late. To put things in perspective, the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, or Bay Bridge, is just over 8 miles long. Must have been his cousins? The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway (French: Chausse du lac Pontchartrain), also known simply as The Causeway, is a fixed link composed of two parallel bridges crossing Lake Pontchartrain in southeastern Louisiana, United States.The longer of the two bridges is 23.83 miles (38.35 km) long. From a haunted walkway to a passage over an active volcanic fault, here are 10 of the scariest bridges in America. Driving over a bridge can induce serious anxiety in some drivers. In 1969, Louisiana's Lake Pontchartrain Causeway was officially recognized by Guinness World Records as the longest bridge over water in the world. A special thanks to Jane Gillardoni Badon for bringing this story to my attention and for the oral historyshe provided on her uncle, George Labeaud, who was one of the sixvictims. In the 1920s, a proposal called for the creation of artificial islands that would then be linked by a series of bridges.