Vieux Carré Riverfront Expressway

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The Vieux Carré Riverfront Expressway was a controversial mostly-elevated never-built freeway that would have cut through the French Quarter (Vieux Carré) of New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. From 1964 to 1969, it was also designated Interstate 310.

The freeway would have split from Interstate 10 at exit 237 (Elysian Fields Avenue - Louisiana Highway 3021) and run south along Elysian Fields Avenue to the Mississippi River. There it would turn southwest and run to a point near Lafayette Street, where ramps would connect to the Greater New Orleans Bridge (U.S. Highway 90 Business). An extension, never part of the Interstate Highway System, was to continue west to meet the Earhart Expressway (Louisiana Highway 3139).

A small piece of the freeway was built as a six-lane tunnel, 690 feet (210 m) long by 98 feet (30 m) wide, under the Rivergate Convention Center, now Harrah's New Orleans Casino. It is presently used for valet parking.^[1]

[edit] History

The freeway was first proposed by Robert Moses in 1946 as part of a larger plan for New Orleans. It was not added to the Interstate Highway System as an urban route in the 1950s, but by 1961 it was being considered for addition. One proposal to gain the mileage was to shift Interstate 10 to the Riverfront route, but eventually, in 1964, the Interstate 420 bypass of Monroe was removed from the Interstate System. It was officially added on October 13, 1964 as Interstate 310.

After large amounts of local opposition, the freeway was removed from the Interstate System on August 22, 1969. Its mileage was used in part for a new southern bypass of New Orleans - Interstate 410 - which was itself never completed.

[edit] See also

Earhart Expressway, another cancelled freeway in New Orleans

[edit] References

^ New Orleans @ SouthEastRoads

Richard F. Weingroff, The Second Battle of New Orleans - Vieux Carré Riverfront Expressway (I-310)

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