Skip to main content

Belle Chasse-Scarsdale Ferry (Belle Chasse, LA)

Image
By

The southernmost reaches of the Mississippi River downriver from greater New Orleans can only be crossed by way of remote & lightly-trafficked ferries and this service, which connects the communities of Belle Chasse and Scarsdale in northern Plaquemines Parish, is the northernmost of the two cross-river ferries in Louisiana’s southernmost parish. Like its neighboring ferries, this crossing requires the payment of a toll and ferries depart from each landing every 30 minutes on most days.

A commercial ferry service was established at this location in 1959. Since 2013, the ferry has been the southernmost crossing of the Mississippi River open to most commercial vehicles. These vehicles were barred indefinitely from the downriver Pointe à la Hache Ferry at the time and this ferry crossing took on somewhat greater importance as a result. The eastern ferry landing leads to LA Highway 39, which follows the east bank of the river southward toward Pointe à la Hache and northward toward St. Bernard Parish and greater New Orleans. LA Highway 3137, known as English Turn Road – a former alignment of the east bank highway, also begins at the eastern landing and follows the river for a short distance northward. The western ferry landing leads to LA Highway 23 (sometimes known as Belle Chasse Highway), which follows the west bank of the river northward into greater New Orleans and southward toward Venice and the mouth of the Mississippi River.

This ferry route is located near a popular anchorage point for ocean-going vessels seeking to travel upriver on the Mississippi River through and beyond New Orleans. On any given day, travelers on the ferry will be able to view the line of anchored ships in the river awaiting passage to their destinations inland. This ferry is also located near the so-called “English Turn”, a prominent 120-degree bend in the Mississippi River, named for a chance encounter in 1699 between the initial French explorers to the area and a competing British exploration party. The French party, led by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, who would go on to establish the permanent settlement of New Orleans in 1718, were successful in convincing the British party to abandon their exploration of the area out of concern that their French rivals had already laid claim to the area.

The following pictures were taken during my eastbound crossing of the Belle Chasse Ferry in January 2018. Included in this set are pictures of English Turn Road (LA Highway 3137). Click on each photo to see a larger version.

Dashcam video of the eastbound trip over the Belle Chasse Ferry was filmed in January 2018 for the 'roadwaywiz' YouTube channel and is available for viewing at the link below:


How To Get There:

Bridges, Crossings, and Structures of the Lower Mississippi River
Next Crossing upriver: Chalmette-Lower Algiers Ferry (Chalmette, LA)
Next Crossing downriver: Pointe a la Hache Ferry (Pointe a la Hache, LA)
Return to the Bridges of the Lower Mississippi River Home Page
__________________________________________________
Labels:
Location: Belle Chasse, LA, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Crescent City Connection (New Orleans, LA)

By
The Crescent City Connection is a massive dual-span steel truss bridge that spans the lower Mississippi River at downtown New Orleans, about 95 river miles upstream from the mouth of the great river at the Head of Passes Light. If counted as a single bi-directional highway bridge, the parallel spans combine to form the single busiest bridge on the Mississippi River and its importance as a linchpin in the region’s transportation network cannot be overstated. While there have been various schemes over the years to construct bridges downriver from Algiers Point, this bridge has been the southernmost bridge on the Mississippi River since its initial construction in the 1950s. The years immediately following the end of World War II were a transformational period in the history of New Orleans. Already one of the great economic and cultural centers of the American Deep South, it was recognized at this time that major changes and improvements to the city’s transportation infrastructure would b...
Post a Comment
Read more

Old US Route 99 through Tipton, Tulare, and Tagus Ranch

By
This summer I had a look into the alignment history of US Route 99 through the Tulare County communities of Tipton, Tulare, and Tagus Ranch.  While this slab below might seem like much it is one of the few remaining reminders of how US Route 99 was during the 1920s in Tulare County. This blog is part of the larger Gribblenation US Route 99 Page.  For more information pertaining to the other various segments of US Route 99 and it's three-digit child routes check out the link the below. Gribblenation US Route 99 Page Part 1; the history of US Route 99 in Tipton, Tulare, and Tagus Ranch Tipton and Tulare were both founded in 1872 as sidings of the Southern Pacific Railroad.  The Southern Pacific Railroad laid the groundwork for development of southern San Joaquin Valley.  Previous to the Southern Pacific Railroad travel via wagon or foot in Central California tended to avoid San Joaquin Valley in favor of the Stockton-Los Angeles Road.  The Stockton Los Ange...
Post a Comment
Read more

Former US Route 101 and California State Route 41 through Paso Robles

By
Paso Robles is a city located on the Salinas River of San Luis Obispo County, California.  As originally configured the surface alignments of US Route 101 and California State Route 41 converged in downtown Paso Robles.  US Route 101 originally was aligned through Paso Robles via Spring Street.  California State Route 41 entered the City of Paso Robles via Union Road and 13th Street where it intersected US Route 101 at Spring Street.  US Route 101 and California State Route 41 departed Paso Robles southbound via a multiplex which split near Templeton.   Pictured above is the cover of the September/October 1957 California Highways & Public Works which features construction of the Paso Robles Bypass.  Pictured below is the 1935 Division of Highways Map of San Luis Obispo County which depicts US Route 101 and California State Route 41 intersecting in downtown Paso Robles.   Part 1; the history of US Route 101 and California State Route 41 i...
Post a Comment
Read more