The Interstate 210 Bridge, located in Lake Charles, La, runs directly over the Calcasieu River…read more It's solid concrete, and has survived numerous Hurricanes and tropical storms. Interstate 210 does a loop around Lake Charles, and connects to Interstate 10 on both ends. I drove over this bridge and also had a great view of it from Prien Lake Park. One of the 2 major bridges in this city!!

A bridge is a structure built to span a gorge, valley, road, railroad track, river, body of water,…read moreor any other physical obstacle known to man, in this case a Ship Channel. Designs of bridges will vary depending on the function of the bridge and the nature of the terrain where the bridge is to be constructed. Most bridges are utilitarian in appearance, but in some cases, the appearance of the bridge can have great importance. Often, this is the case with a large bridge that serves as an entrance to a city, or crosses over a main harbor entrance. These are sometimes are known as signature bridges but this is not the case with this bridge since the signature bridge in the area is on I-10 and is referred to as the Jean Lafitte Bridge. To create a beautiful image, some bridges are built much taller than necessary I'd say this rings true with this bridge rising some 140 feet above the surface of the water it was built to accommodate most tall ships of the day in 1962. Built as a by-pass route for I-10 it's referred to as the Lake Charles Loop or 210 Bypass which is a mere 12.4 miles long and this bridge spans more than 1.6 miles of the entire loop or roughly 13% of the total roadway. The construction of this bridge came with many stories from the old timers that worked on it, from a tale of two men who fell into the concrete during construction and the hard nosed foreman wouldn't allow time to look for them and they never were found, to another where a laborer being blown off the top of the bridge while carrying a sheet of plywood and ended up flying all the way to Holly Beach, Louisiana on the Gulf Coast which is more that 40 miles away, luckily he landed in the water right next to his brother-in-laws camp right off the beach and hitched a ride back to work before his bossman noticed he was missing, It's doubtful that any of these tales are true but made interesting conversation for us kids that grew up in that era. Regardless of what is true or just a myth this is a beautiful bridge and watching the sunset in the background is breathtaking. The view from the top is just as stunning and provides a bird's eye view of the chemical plants and oil refineries as well as downtown Lake Charles and the newest casinos. It also provides an alternative route for those that find crossing the aging Jean Lafitte bridge a little too daunting.

Surprised that I have not reviewed this bridge with all of the trips that I've made from Houston to…read moreNew Orleans and then back to Houston. Not as impressive as many of the other bridges in Louisiana, but think about how people would have travelled in the early 1900s with mosquitoes carrying Yellow Fever, no interstate highways, no air conditioning and limited bridges. The challenges were real. In fact, in 1900 the U.S. Army research corps proved that mosquitoes carried and transmitted Yellow Fever. Many people dismissed medical science. That distrust led to a massive outbreak of Yellow Fever in 1905 in New Orleans. Over 3,000 people were infected. About 450 people died. Public health to the rescue. Using simple methods to decrease breeding grounds and spraying for mosquitoes, that was the last outbreak in North America. Amazing. (There is a vaccine available if you travel to an area where Yellow Fever is still endemic.) Gives you something to think about while traveling on the interstate in a nice air conditioned car towing a trailer from New Orleans to Houston. Even if the interstate seems to always be under construction, at least the bridges are there to cross another large body of water.

We have some good news and some bad news…read more The good news is that this bridge is living history. It was built for US90 in 1952. It has all the features of highways and bridges of that era: slightly narrow lanes, no place to pull over, room to walk, slightly steep going up and down, handsome arch at the highest point. It has character that the I-210 bridge does not have, especially with the pistols on the fences. The bad news is that this bridge is likely the most functionally and structurally obsolete bridge between Jacksonville and Santa Monica. It was incorporated into I-10, but was not at Interstate Freeway standards. Now cars are faster, trucks are heavier, and traffic in Lake Charles has increased. There are likely people in Lake Charles and Westlake who avoid driving on this bridge, it can be scary. I wasn't scared, I enjoyed the drive in both directions, but I understand if people are scared on this bridge. I read that Louisiana is making plans to build a new bridge ASAP. I'd hate to lose a piece of transportation history, but some things have to be done.

I just want to thank all the wonderful people and police officers who helped my sister last night…read more(8/10/2021). You went above and beyond the call of duty and we both are so grateful. Your professionalism and compassion is impressive. May God bless you and keep you safe. Valerie

Why would I review a police station? Simply because the are that bad. The police chief is pretty…read moreunderstanding, but this place is corrupt. I'm not trying to be biased since my ex wife works here, but I was harassed nonstop by her boyfriend she was having an affair with. Him being a cop there, I called a detective there to file a complaint. I didn't here back from him, so I went to the police chief. He made sure the issue was addressed and followed up on it immediately. Two days later I was called back by the initial detective only to be told that the cop I filed a complaint about was pressing charges on me. I told him about the situation and he then started badgering me. I lived 6 hours away and he then said I needed to come in to file a complaint. I called the chief again and straightened it all out, but not after all the frustration that was caused. Since I grew up in this area, I know about all the corrupt things that happen here. Don't call them for assistance ever!

Best bailbonds man in town. I've seen him in action. Willing him to help anyone. Thank you for…read moreeverything you do for our parish and many other parishes