Interstate 610 (Louisiana)

Infobox road
state=LA
route=610
type=I


alternate_name=
maint=LaDOTD
length_mi=4.52
length_round=
length_ref= [ [http://www.southeastroads.com/la_interstates.html Louisiana Interstate Highway Log] ]
year_established=1956
direction_a=West
terminus_a=Jct|state=LA|I|10 at the Orleans-Jefferson parish line
junction=
direction_b=East
terminus_b=Jct|state=LA|I|10 in New Orleans
previous_type=State
previous_route=609
next_type=State
next_route=610
browse=

Interstate 610 (abbreviated I-610) is an auxiliary route of Interstate 10 that lies entirely within the boundaries of New Orleans, Louisiana.

The western terminus is at I-10 at the 17th Street Canal, which forms the boundary between Orleans Parish and Jefferson Parish. The eastern terminus is at I-10 near Franklin Avenue in the Gentilly neighborhood of the city, just west of where I-10 crosses the Industrial Canal, which links the Mississippi River with Lake Pontchartrain. The total length of the bypass is approximately 5 miles.

While I-10 continues into the Central Business District of New Orleans, I-610 provides a shorter route and a bypass for motorists by cutting east and west through City Park.

The idea for I-610 goes back to around 1956, when a consultant firm proposed building a federal-aid highway along the current route next to an existing railroad. The proposed route would cut through City Park. During public hearings in 1958, there was a lot of debate about the highway cutting through the park. [cite web| url=http://www.kurumi.com/roads/3di/i610.html| title=Interstate 610 Louisiana|year=2003|publisher: 3 digit interstates at kurumi.com|accessdate=2007-04-15]

The state purchased the right-of-way in City Park in 1966 and began construction of I-610 in 1971. In 1972, a lawsuit was filed, citing that the project violated a 1968 law forbidding the use of parkland as a route for highways unless there was no other alternative route and steps were taken to mitigate park damage. The state eventually prevailed and I-610 was completed in the late 1970s.

Exit list

The entire route is in New Orleans, Orleans Parish.

References