Rating:
2 votes

KCS - Atchafalaya River Bridge

Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana, and Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana

Photos 

View on top of LA 1 bridge looking North towards railroad bridge

Photo taken by John T. Dauzat

Enlarge

BH Photo #164188

Map 

Street Views 

Description 

This bridge has a "legend" of being haunted due to a train collision near it in August of 1951 where 8 people died. The bridge also carried auto traffic until the new bridge was built in 1971.

Timeline 

Written by James Rhed

Two 300 foot truss spans were added to the bridge on the West side of the river in 1938 to allow the cross section of the Atchafalaya River to be increased.

Facts 

Overview
Through truss swing bridge over Atchafalaya River on Kansas City Southern Railroad (formerly also carried LA-1)
Location
Simmesport, Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana, and Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana
Status
Open to traffic
Railroads
- Kansas City Southern Railway (KCS)
- Louisiana and Arkansas Railway (LA)
Design
Baltimore through truss
Also called
Old Atchafalaya Iron Bridge
Approximate latitude, longitude
+30.98135, -91.79772   (decimal degrees)
30°58'53" N, 91°47'52" W   (degrees°minutes'seconds")
Approximate UTM coordinates
15/614803/3428154 (zone/easting/northing)
Quadrangle map:
Simmesport
Inventory number
BH 45181 (Bridgehunter.com ID)

Categories 

Atchafalaya River (11)
Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana (11)
Baltimore through truss (290)
Baltimore truss (319)
Built 1928 (1,104)
Built during 1920s (9,260)
Haunted (30)
Have street view (24,552)
Kansas City Southern Railway (200)
LA 1 (11)
Louisiana (668)
Louisiana and Arkansas Railway (5)
 Movable (2,795)
Navigable waterway (2,085)
Open (37,872)
Owned by railroad (10,781)
Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana (15)
Rail-and-Road (352)
Railroad (14,137)
Simmesport, Louisiana (1)
Swing (1,337)
Through truss (13,566)
Truss (30,510)

Update Log 

  • October 17, 2017: New photos from Jeff Dubea
  • March 31, 2017: New Street View added by Cliff Darby
  • February 28, 2017: Essay added by James Rhed
  • December 22, 2016: New photo from M. D. Caillet
  • December 12, 2015: New Street View added by Douglas Butler
  • June 16, 2014: New photo from Douglas Butler
  • January 2, 2013: Updated by Jared Mixson: Added additional info
  • May 19, 2010: New Street View added by Cliff Darby
  • May 5, 2010: Added by John T. Dauzat

Sources 

  • John T. Dauzat - jtdauzat [at] yahoo [dot] com
  • Cliff Darby - clif30 [at] hotmail [dot] com
  • Jared
  • Jeff Dubea
  • Douglas Butler
  • James Rhed
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Comments 

KCS - Atchafalaya River Bridge
Posted October 17, 2017, by Jeff Dubea (jeffdubea [at] yahoo [dot] com)

I am from Avoyelles Parish, and I have heard many stories from older folks about driving cars over this bridge before the LA 1 bridge was built. My father remembers having to fold in his truck mirror when meeting another truck on the bridge, as it was a narrow road set around the tracks.

Old Atchafalaya Iron Bridge/K.C.S. Atchafalaya Railroad bridge
Posted January 1, 2013, by Jared Mixson

Bruce is correct. Bing Maps still shows Gremillion St. crossing on this bridge although the road deck has long since been removed. You can still see some of the pilings.

Old Atchafalaya Iron Bridge/K.C.S. Atchafalaya Railroad bridge
Posted January 13, 2012, by Britton (Bbullock1982 [at] gmail [dot] com)

I've worked on this bridge and was on the turnspan part in operation. It is pretty neat to see something so old work like it does.

Old Atchafalaya Iron Bridge/K.C.S. Atchafalaya Railroad bridge
Posted May 12, 2011, by Bruce Cannon (rbcannon [at] earthlink [dot] net)

Is this the bridge built in 1928 jointly by the State of Louisiana and the L&A railroad that also carried LA Hwy 1 across the Atchafalaya? I have early childhood memories of driving across that bridge.