Louisiana’s Lake Pontchartrain Causeway is officially recognized by Guinness World Records as the longest bridge over water globally. The causeway, constructed by the Louisiana Bridge Company in 1956, initially spanned nearly 24 miles across Lake Pontchartrain, providing a direct connection between the north and south of New Orleans.
Motorists crossing the causeway experience a unique phenomenon as they lose sight of land for an eight-mile stretch, sometimes leading to seaborne fears and police interventions. Notably, babies have been born on the causeway when mothers couldn’t reach the hospital on time, and an airplane once safely landed on the bridge after running out of gas over the lake.
In 1969, the causeway expanded with the addition of a second two-lane span, parallel to the original. While the second span was only slightly longer, approximately 50 feet, it caught Guinness World Records’ attention, officially designating the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway as the longest bridge over water in the world.
In 2011, a new rival claim emerged from China with the completion of the Jiaozhou Bay Bridge, threatening the causeway’s record. However, controversy ensued as Guinness’ measurement criteria included aggregate structures, such as land bridges and an undersea tunnel, which were not «over water.» To resolve this, Guinness introduced two new categories: the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway became the «longest bridge over water (continuous),» while the Jiaozhou Bay Bridge became the «longest bridge over water (aggregate).»
Although the Jiaozhou Bay Bridge has since lost its title to the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway remains the world’s longest bridge continuously over water. With its southern terminus in Metairie and northern terminus in Mandeville, the causeway continues to serve as a remarkable engineering feat, with tolls collected on the north shore for southbound traffic. A bascule drawbridge is situated at the 16.0-mile marker, allowing water traffic to pass beneath the bridge.
