Rigolets

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The Rigolets is a 12.9 kilometer (8 mi) long strait in Louisiana.

19th century Rigolets lighthouse in 2004. It was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

It begins at 30°10′40″N, 89°44′40″W and follows a generally eastward course to Lake Borgne, which is a lagoon in the Gulf of Mexico. Along with nearby Chef Menteur Pass, the Rigolets connects Lake Pontchartrain and Lake St. Catherine to Lake Borgne.^[1][2] It forms the boundary between New Orleans (Orleans Parish) and St. Tammany Parish.

"Rigolets" comes from the word rigole, French for "trench" or "gutter." The name is locally pronounced "RIG-uh-leez."

Many times throughout history it has been suggested that the narrow waterway be outfitted with floodgates. Had this been done pre-Katrina, most of the city of New Orleans would likely not have been flooded.

As a deepwater tidal pass, the Rigolets helps supply salt water from the Gulf to Lake Pontchartrain.^[3] Tidal scouring has produced a deep pit in the lake at the western mouth of the strait.^[4] Since the Rigolets is a channel through which Gulf storm surges can approach the New Orleans area, there are proposals to construct floodgates.^[5]

Fort Pike was constructed to protect the Rigolets.

The Rigolets is spanned by two bridges. The western terminus of the U.S. Route 90 Rigolets Bridge is located immediately north of Fort Pike. It has required major repairs following damage caused by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005.^[6] Farther south, the CSX railroad crosses the Rigolets on a 1388-meter (4555-ft) bridge.^[7] Hurricane damage there included shifted spans and the loss of timber decking.^[8]

[edit] References

1. ^ The Rigolets. USGS Geographic Names Information System. Retrieved on 2006-04-17.
2. ^ Comprehensive Habitat Management Plan for the Lake Pontchartrain Basin (PDF). Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation (2005-11-18). Retrieved on 2006-04-15.
3. ^ Martello Castle Background Information. Wetland Education through Maps and Aerial Photography. Retrieved on 2006-04-17.
4. ^ Basin Geology. Environmental Atlas of the Lake Pontchartrain Basin. Retrieved on 2006-04-17.
5. ^ Full flood safety in New Orleans could take billions and decades. Louisiana Dept. of Natural Resources. Retrieved on 2006-04-17.
6. ^ Louisiana Dept. of Transportation & Development (2005-09-07). DOTD inspects movable bridges in hurricane-affected area. Press release.
7. ^ Judge, Tom. "Bridging to recovery", Railway Age. Retrieved on 2006-04-15.
8. ^ Restoring Katrina-ravaged bridges. Railway Track and Structures. Retrieved on 2006-04-15.

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