CCCD Ferries
The Mississippi River Bridge Authority (MRBA) purchased the
existing ferry operations at the Algiers / Canal St. ferry
crossing in 1960. The MRBA also purchased the Gretna / Jackson
Ave. ferry crossing in 1965. In 1969, the MRBA began ferry service
at Lower Algiers / Chalmette.
These three ferry crossings have operated continuously since
1969 as an integral part of the greater New Orleans area urban
mass transit system.
Following the renaming of the Greater New Orleans Bridges over
the Mississippi River by Louisiana Legislative Act in 1989, the
Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) unit providing
the operation, maintenance, and policing of the bridges and ferries, was
designated the "Crescent City Connection Division" of the DOTD.
Bridges
The Mississippi River Bridge Authority began construction on
the first bridge in November 1954. The Greater New Orleans (GNO)
Bridge over the Mississippi River opened for traffic in April
1958.
Construction on the GNO Bridge No. 2 began in March 1981.
Traffic first crossed over the GNO Bridge No. 2 in September 1988.
Both bridges have been in continuous operation since 1988 as a
unitary bridge facility having a total of eight general traffic
lanes plus two Transit / High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes. This
configuration provides four lanes from the East Bank (New Orleans)
of the river to the West Bank of the river, four lanes from the
West Bank of the river to the East Bank of the river, and two
reversible HOV lanes on the route US 90 Business. The Crescent
City Connection ranks as the fifth most traveled toll bridge in
the United States, with the annual traffic volume exceeding 63
million.
Following a 1989 public contest to select a name for the bridges, a
Louisiana Legislative Act officially designated the bridges as the
"Crescent City Connection." The Department of Transportation and
Development (DOTD) unit, providing the operation, maintenance and
policing of the Crescent City Connection, was then designated as
the "Crescent City Connection Division" of DOTD
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