Site Navigation Alabama Florida Georgia Louisiana Mississippi North Carolina South Carolina Tennessee     U.S. Highway 90 Business Eastbound U.S. 90 Business East The first eastbound Business U.S. 90 shield. The original interchange for U.S. 90/Business U.S. 90 has been demolished, with a new intersection instead put in place. This realignment is a predecessor for the eventual construction of Interstate 49. Photo taken 08/02/02. Business U.S. 90 expands outwards as a wide grassy right-of-way begins for the eventual Westbank Expressway extension westward. Since the interchange with U.S. 90 has been removed, Business U.S. 90 now curves more gracefully from U.S. 90. Pictured here is one of many Future Corridor Interstate 49 trailblazers posted along the Westbank Expressway. Photo taken 08/02/02. Business U.S. 90 eastbound approaching the southern terminus of Louisiana 18 Spur. This short connector route joins Business U.S. 90 with Louisiana 18/The Old Spanish Trail at Westwego to the north. Photo taken 08/02/02. The intersection of Business U.S. 90 eastbound at Louisiana 18 Spur. Mast arm traffic signal assemblies are the norm along the non-freeway portion of the Business route. Eventually these roadways will be the frontage roads for future Interstate 49. Photo taken 08/02/02. Older guide signage and shield for the upcoming beginning of the freeway version of the Westbank Expressway. Older Louisiana U.S. shields utilize series "B" of the highway gothic font series. This is also the same style of numbering found on new Louisiana state shields and 3 digit Interstate shields throughout the country. The use of just the word "Expressway" is a practice exuded by the state of New Jersey with relation to the Atlantic City Expressway. Photo taken 08/02/02. Business U.S. 90 eastbound approaches the beginning of the freeway portion of the Westbank Expressway in this scene. Motorists continuing straight will find themselves on the eastbound frontage road. Although only allocated two lanes at the onset, the Westbank Expressway quickly widens to three eastbound lanes. Photo taken 06/10/06. The beginning of the freeway portion of the Westbank Expressway. The U.S. 90 Business mainline veers to the left. To the right the frontage road continues to Ames Boulevard. An off-ramp exists to Ames Boulevard in the westbound direction and is signed as Exit 4A. Photo taken 06/10/06. The first three exits for Business U.S. 90/Westbank Expressway are displayed on this aforementioned upcoming exits sign. The freeway also rapidly elevates above the frontage roads and surrounding environs, and remains on viaducts eastward to the Greater New Orleans Bridge toll plaza. Photo taken 06/10/06. Exit 4B serves the Jean Lafitte National Historic Park and Preserve via Louisiana 45 (Barataria Boulevard) south and Avenue D, a north-south arterial within Marrero, via the eastbound frontage road. Photo taken 06/10/06. The Westbank Expressway even has its own set of exit numbers. The only other instance of a non-Interstate freeway within the state of Louisiana with exit numbers is the Louisiana 3132 outer-loop of Shreveport. Exit 4B is the first on for the freeway, and connects with Louisiana 45. Photo taken 06/10/06. An exit-only lane departs for Exit 4B/Barataria Boulevard. Louisiana 45 begins at nearby Louisiana 18 and travels southward through Jefferson Parish to the small town of Lafitte on the body of water known as "The Pen". Photo taken 06/10/06. An upcoming exits sign highlights the next three interchanges of U.S. 90 Business east. The high-level Harvey Canal Bridge rises in the background. Photo taken 06/10/06. Departing the freeway next is the Mac Arthur Avenue off-ramp (Exit 5) at east Marrero. Mac Arthur Avenue travels south from Louisiana 18 (4th Street) to Patriot Street parallel to Louisiana 3018 (Destrehan Avenue). Photo taken 06/10/06. Nearing Exit 5, the last before the Harvey Canal crossing on Business U.S. 90 eastbound. This interchange serves the Marrero community and Louisiana 3018 south to Lapalco Boulevard. Photo taken 06/10/06. The Mac Arthur Avenue off-ramp of Exit 5 departs the Westbank Expressway eastbound in this scene. Use Exit 5 onto the eastbound frontage road for the Harvey Tunnel beneath U.S. 90 Business. The tunnel preceded the high-level bridge as the crossing over the Harvey Canal. Photo taken 06/10/06. The Westbank Expressway begins the ascent on the six-lane Harvey Canal Bridge. The waterway links the Mississippi River with the Intracoastal Waterway to the south near New Orleans Naval Air Station. Photos taken 06/10/06. Traveling across the crest of the Harvey Canal Bridge on U.S. 90 Business east. The freeway heads into the communities of Harvey and Gretna. Exits 6, 7, and 8, listed on this sign, serve those Westbank communities. Photo taken 06/10/06. Exit 6 joins U.S. 90 Business with Manhattan Boulevard via the Westbank Expressway frontage roads. Manhattan Boulevard heads south from Louisiana 18 (4th Street) through Harvey to Gretna and Lapalco Boulevards to the south. Photo taken 06/10/06. The Westbank Expressway kinks northeast ahead of the Manhattan Boulevard off-ramp. Photo taken 06/10/06. U.S. 90 Business eastbound at the Exit 6 off-ramp for Manhattan Boulevard. A u-turn ramp below the freeway serves the westbound frontage road to Peters Road along Harvey Canal. Photo taken 06/10/06. The Westbank Expressway next meets the eastern terminus of Louisiana 18 (Lafayette Street) and Louisiana 23 (Belle Chase Highway) at Exit 7. The two routes come together underneath the freeway in the city of Gretna. Photo taken 06/10/06. Louisiana 23 (Belle Chase Highway) leads south from the Westbank Expressway to the Belle Chase Tunnel and the New Orleans Naval Air Station and Joint Reserve Base. Louisiana 23 constitutes the main route to Boothville and Venice in extreme southeastern Louisiana. These communities and much of Plaquemines Parish were devastated from the landfall of Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005. Photo taken 06/10/06. The Manhattan Boulevard on-ramp forms the exit-only lane for Louisiana 18 (Lafayette Street) west and Louisiana 23 (Belle Chase Highway). Louisiana 18 begins and travels west along the Mississippi River to Harvey, Marrero, Harahan and points northwest. Louisiana 23 meanwhile follows the Westbank Expressway frontage road system east to Franklin Avenue in Gretna. Photo taken 06/10/06. Exit 7 departs the Westbank Expressway as the freeway begins to curve northward in anticipation of the Greater New Orleans Bridges. Louisiana 18 follows Lafayette Street north to 4th Street west and represents the original pathway of U.S. 90 through Gretna, Harvey, and Marrero. Photo taken 06/10/06. U.S. 90 Business intersects Stumpf Boulevard at the Exit 8 diamond interchange in one half mile. Stumpf Boulevard ventures south from Louisiana 466 (5th Street) to Terry Parkway and Terrytown. Photo taken 06/10/06. The Louisiana 18 and 23 on-ramp forms an auxiliary line for Stumpf Boulevard (Exit 8). Stumpf Boulevard meets Louisiana 23 (Franklin Avenue) just north of the freeway and Gretna Boulevard to the southeast. Photo taken 06/10/06. Eastbound U.S. 90 Business at the Exit 8 off-ramp to Stumpf Boulevard in north Gretna. Photo taken 06/10/06. The Westbank Expressway enters Orleans Parish and the city of New Orleans at the Louisiana 428 (General Degaulle Drive) directional-cloverleaf interchange of Exit 9. Interstate 10 appears for the first time along U.S. 90 Business at the upcoming exits sign posted after the Stumpf Boulevard off-ramp. Photo taken 06/10/06. Signs for the Greater New Orleans Bridge toll plaza lie ahead of the Exit 9 off-ramp to Terry Parkway and Louisiana 428 (General Degaulle Drive). The exit ramp joins the eastbound frontage road ahead of Terry Parkway and its end at junction Louisiana 428. Terry Parkway begins and travels southeast from the frontage roads to Terrytown and junction Louisiana 23 (Belle Chase Highway). Photo taken 06/10/06. A pair of signs advise motorists that Exit 9 is the last before the Greater New Orleans Bridge toll plaza. Photo taken 06/10/06. Nearing the ramp departure of Exit 9 to Terry Parkway south and Louisiana 428 (General Degaulle Drive). Louisiana 428 forms a loop through Gretna and the Algiers section of New Orleans. General Degaulle Drive comprises a busy surface arterial east from Franklin Avenue (Louisiana 23) to the Louisiana 407 Intracoastal Waterway Bridge. Photo taken 06/10/06. U.S. 90 Business eastbound at the Exit 9 ramp departure onto the eastbound frontage road. Louisiana 428 travels east to Behrman Highway and west to Franklin Avenue. The state highway heads north along Franklin Avenue into Algiers to Newton Street and General Meyer Avenue. Shirley Drive meanwhile links General Degaulle Drive with General Meyer Avenue at the Naval Support Activity New Orleans base. Photo taken 06/10/06. One half mile out from the bridge toll plaza on U.S. 90 Business east. Flyover ramps to Terry Parkway south and Louisiana 428 east from U.S. 90 Business west travel above. A mileage sign lists the distance to the New Orleans central business district and Interstate 10 (Pontchartrain Expressway). Photo taken 06/10/06. Reversible carpool lanes travel along the median of U.S. 90 Business across the Mississippi River into downtown New Orleans. HOV-2 vehicles should move to the left-hand toll booths to access the carpool roadway. Photo taken 06/10/06. Attached to the Louisiana 428 (General Degaulle Drive) flyover are toll tag signs for the upcoming toll plaza. LA DOTD CCCD Toll Tags were introduced in 1989. Photo taken 06/10/06. Entering the toll plaza at the south end of the Greater New Orleans Bridge. Passenger vehicles are levied a $1.00 toll, but discounts apply to toll tag users. Photo taken 06/10/06. Ascending on the Greater New Orleans Bridge of U.S. 90 Business eastbound. The (eastbound) Crescent City Connection span opened to traffic on September 30, 1988. The (westbound) Greater New Orleans Bridge opened April 15, 1958. The 94-feet wide road deck travels 3,019 feet. Construction costs associated with the bridge and the east and west approaches totaled $600 million. The bridge is the southernmost Mississippi River crossing in the United States and is 95.7 miles north of the mouth of the river.1 Merging onto the bridge from the left is the HOV-2 reversible roadway. The HOV facility carries two lanes southbound during the evening peak hours and two lanes northbound during the morning peak hours of traffic. Photos taken 06/10/06. The first downtown New Orleans exit is that of Tchoupitoulas Street (Exit 11A). The one-mile guide sign resides ahead of the bridge superstructure. Photo taken 06/10/06. Tchoupitoulas Street heads south from the central business district to the Mississippi River levee and Audubon Park. Exit 11A serves the riverside Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. Photo taken 06/10/06. The newer eastbound bridge carries four lanes into New Orleans, with two more allocated for the reversible HOV-lanes. The jersey barrier to the left separates the two roadways. Photos taken 06/10/06. Exit 11 to Tchoupitoulas Street departs and winds downward to the street grid near the convention center. Departing next is the Camp Street off-ramp to downtown and the National D-Day Museum. Photo taken 06/10/06. The New Orleans skyline as visible from the Greater New Orleans Bridge. The New Orleans Superdome was still under repair at the time of this photograph due to damage caused by Hurricane Katrina. Photo taken 06/10/06. Eastbound near the Camp Street off-ramp to downtown New Orleans. Camp Street heads north to Canal and Chartres Street and the Vieux Carre. The exit also includes a ramp onto Andrew Higgens Drive east to Convention Center Boulevard. Photo taken 06/10/06. U.S. 90 Business (Pontchartrain Expressway) eastbound actually travels northwest from the bridge to Interstate 10. The orientation skirts the western reaches of the central business district. Photo taken 06/10/06. The HOV-2 elevated roadway travels between the east and westbound carriageways of the Pontchartrain Expressway. Pictured here is the carpool viaduct and the two-lane ramp departure to Camp Street north and Andrew Higgens Drive east. Photo taken 06/10/06. Next in line for eastbound travelers is the O'Keefe Avenue off-ramp into downtown New Orleans. O'Keefe Avenue splits from Dryades Street at Howard Avenue en route to Common Street and University Place outside the Vieux Carre. Photo taken 06/10/06. The Calliope Street on-ramp forms an auxiliary lane to O'Keefe Avenue north on U.S. 90 Business east. The O'Keefe Avenue exit ties into Howard Avenue nearby and Poydras Street three blocks to the north Poydras Street serves the Superdome (home of the NFL New Orleans Saints) and the New Orleans Arena (home of the NBA New Orleans Hornets). Photo taken 06/10/06. The New Orleans Arena comes into view at the O'Keefe Avenue off-ramp off the Pontchartrain Expressway north. Use the exit for the Warehouse District and New Orleans City Hall. Photo taken 06/10/06. The HOV-2 viaduct prepares to descend to its end at Earhart Boulevard at Magnolia Street. U.S. 90 Business meanwhile draws close to is conclusion at the Interstate 10 and U.S. 90 interchange. Departing next is the Earhart Boulevard westbound ramp to Claiborne Avenue (U.S. 90). Photo taken 06/10/06. The Pontchartrain Expressway passes by the New Orleans Arena and Superdome ahead of the Interstate 10 stack interchange. The Superdome roof was damaged severely from the winds of Hurricane Katrina and at the time the facility was used as an evacuation shelter. The levee failure and rising flood waters forced a quick evacuation of the Superdome in the days after the August 29, 2005 hurricane landfall. Unfortunately the stadium was inadequately suited for the needs of storm refugees and many died as a result. Months later, construction was underway to repair the Superdome roof in time for the September 25, 2006 Saints home opener versus the Atlanta Falcons. Photo taken 06/10/06. The Pontchartrain Expressway gains a frontage street system from the Convention Center northwest to the merge with Interstate 10. Earhart Boulevard represents the parallel surface streets from Loyola Avenue north to Claiborne Avenue (U.S. 90). U.S. 90 follows Claiborne Avenue in the shadow of Interstate 10 from Canal Street to Jefferson Highway at the Jefferson Parish line. Photo taken 06/10/06. Drivers bound for U.S. 90 (Claiborne Avenue) west depart the U.S. 90 Business eastbound freeway onto Earhart Boulevard north. Earhart Boulevard continues north from Claiborne Avenue to the Jefferson Parish line and Earhart Expressway. The boulevard and freeway carry the designation of Louisiana 3139. Louisiana 3139 follows the freeway west from New Orleans to Clearview Parkway and Dickory Avenue. The alignment represents the unconstructed Vieux Carre Expressway (Interstate 310). Photo taken 06/10/06. A lone U.S. 90 Business reassurance marker lies ahead of the U.S. 90 (Claiborne Avenue) eastbound off-ramp. Photo taken 06/10/06. U.S. 90 Business east splits into ramps for U.S. 90 (Claiborne Avenue) east to Canal Street and Mid City, Interstate 10 east to Slidell, and Interstate 10 west to Metairie and Baton Rouge. Photo taken 06/10/06. Eastbound at the U.S. 90 (Claiborne Avenue) eastbound off-ramp. Claiborne Avenue intersects Poydras Street adjacent to the Superdome before traveling underneath the Interstate 10 viaduct. U.S. 90 turns northwest onto Tulane Avenue to junction U.S. 61 at South Broad Avenue. Photo taken 06/10/06. A single-lane off-ramp leaves U.S. 90 east for Interstate 10 east to Gentilly, Lake Forest, New Orleans East, and Slidell. The Pontchartrain Expressway mainline defaults onto Interstate 10 westbound for Mid City, Lakeview, and Metairie. Photo taken 06/10/06. Sources: 1 - "Major Bridges of Louisiana." Preconstruction Pages (LADOTD), Volume 2,1. Page Updated June 25, 2006.