Louisiana Is Home to 6 of the 11 Longest Bridges in America

Lafayette, La (KMDL) - According to worldatlas.com, there are roughly 617,000 bridges in the United States.

Of these 617,000 bridges, there are 11 on the board that are true engineering marvels, with a couple of these bridges measuring in at over a whopping 20 miles long.

When ranking the 11 longest bridges in America, Louisiana is home to 6.

Longest Bridges In The United States

Bridges are basically built to help us get over stuff, quite literally.

Instead of going around these obstacles or figuring out some crazy detour, a bridge just lets you go right over it.

When it comes to Louisiana, bridges aren't just something to help save time when traveling, bridges are essential to actually be able to get to most places.

Louisiana has so many bridges because of water. We've got rivers, like the Mississippi, bayous, swamps, lakes, and even the Gulf coast.

Basically, if you want to get anywhere in Louisiana, you're gonna have to cross some kind of water.

READ MORE: Louisiana Parishes with the Most Bridges - How Many Are Unsafe?

Worldatlas.com has compiled a list of "The 11 Longest Bridges In The United States" and, out of the 11 on the list, 6 of them are right here in Louisiana.

Longest Bridges In Louisiana

Of the 11 longest bridges in the United States, these are the 6 Louisiana bridges on the list and their rank Nationally.

1. Lake Pontchartrain Causeway - 23. 83 miles long.

Built by the Louisiana Bridge Company in 1956, the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway is longest bridge in Louisiana, and the longest bridge in America.

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2. Manchac Swamp Bridge - 23 miles long.

Just slightly shorter than the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, the Manchac Swamp Bridge is the Louisiana's 2nd longest bridge, and the 2nd longest bridge in America.

Opening in 1979, the Manchac Swamp Bridge is considered to be the longest toll-free road bridge in the world.

READ MORE: Louisiana Bridges At Risk? NTSB Calls For Safety Assessments

3. Louisiana Airborne Memorial Bridge - 18.2 miles long.

Obviously, we in Louisiana call this the Atchafalaya Basin Bridge.

From worldatlas.com -

"As the name suggests, this bridge crosses the Atchafalaya Basin, which is actually the largest swamp/wetland in the country. Construction on this four-lane, suspended segment of Interstate 10, began in 1971 and finished two years later, thereby connecting the cities of Baton Rouge (Louisiana's capital) and Lafayette."

5. Bonnet Carré Spillway - 12 miles long.

The Bonnet Carré Spillway is the 5th longest bridge in the United States, and the 4th longest bridge in Louisiana.

This bridge opened in 1972, the Bonnet Carré Spillway connects St. Charles Parish and portions of St. John the Baptist and Jefferson Parishes.

6. Louisiana Highway 1 Bridge - 8.26 miles long.

The Louisiana Highway 1 Bridge is the 6th longest bridge in the U.S. and the 5th largest Louisiana bridge.

The bridge opened in 2009 and connects Leeville to Port Fourchon, with a planned future expansion northward to Golden Meadow.

11. Norfolk Southern Lake Pontchartrain Bridge - 5.8 miles long.

From worldatlast.com -

"Switching it up a bit to cap things off (while simultaneously ending where we began), the Norfolk Southern Lake Pontchartrain Bridge supports the Norfolk Southern Railway Amtrak, rather than commuting cars, as it crosses the titular lake in Southeastern Louisiana."

Although this bridge isn't for regular vehicles, it's technically the 6th longest bridge in Louisiana and the 11th longest longest bridge in America.

This bridge is also the longest water-spanning railroad bridge in the world.

Read more at worldatlast.com.