Skip to main content

Pointe à la Hache Ferry (Pointe à la Hache, LA)

Image
By

 

Near the mouth of the Mississippi River, the village of Pointe à la Hache (pronounced like “Point la Hatch”) is the southernmost permanent community on the east bank of the Mississippi River, located about 50 miles upriver from the Head of Passes Light, the official mouth of the river at the end of the delta. This community, which has been the parish seat of Plaquemines Parish since the parish’s establishment in 1807, has a population of less than 200, yet is also home to the southernmost public vehicle crossing on the river. This ferry service has operated commercially in this location since 1933 and like its neighboring ferries upriver, this crossing requires the payment of a toll and ferries depart from each landing every 30 minutes on most days.

The eastern ferry landing leads to the southern reaches of LA Highway 39, which follows the east bank of the river northward toward St. Bernard Parish and greater New Orleans. The western ferry landing leads to LA Highway 23 (sometimes known as Belle Chasse Highway), which follows the west bank of the river northward toward greater New Orleans and southward toward Venice and the mouth of the Mississippi River. Due to its isolated location over an hour’s drive downriver from greater New Orleans, this is the lightest-trafficked of the ferry services on the Mississippi River in Louisiana. The population of Plaquemines Parish on the east bank of the river was reduced to a hardy few following the devastation brought to the area by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. As a result of the lack of population on that side of the river since then, traffic counts on this ferry crossing have been drastically lower over the last 20 years than in the years leading up to 2005.

Since 2013, the ferry has been closed to heavier commercial vehicles, meaning that any such traffic must utilize the ferries closer to the city or even divert to the Crescent City Connection. All in all and in spite of the lack of vehicle traffic, this is a quintessentially Louisianan experience for folks who enjoy an old-fashioned, isolated transportation experience near the mouth of one of America’s great rivers.

The following pictures were taken during my westbound crossing of the Pointe à la Hache Ferry in January 2017. Click on each photo to see a larger version.



The following pictures were taken during my eastbound crossing of the Pointe à la Hache Ferry in January 2017. Click on each photo to see a larger version.

Dashcam video of the eastbound trip over the Pointe à la Hache Ferry was filmed in January 2017 for the 'roadwaywiz' YouTube channel and is available for viewing at the link below:


Dashcam video of the westbound trip over the Pointe à la Hache Ferry was filmed in January 2017 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: Belle Chasse-Scarsdale Ferry (Belle Chasse, LA)
Next Crossing downriver: Mouth of the Mississippi River
Return to the Bridges of the Lower Mississippi River Home Page
__________________________________________________

Labels:
Location: Pointe à la Hache, LA 70082, 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