Gribblenation

Welcome to home page for Gribblenation's series on the bridges, crossings, and structures of the lower Mississippi River! Here you will find links to information about the many bridges, ferries, and flood control structures located along the river between the Mississippi & Ohio Rivers confluence near Cairo, IL and the mouth of the Mississippi River at the Head of Passes Light near Venice, LA. The bridges of the lower Mississippi River are a diverse collection of impressive engineering achievements. Many of these bridges were modern marvels at the time of their construction and most of them are still among the largest bridges of their respective types in the United States. In addition to the numerous monumental bridges in this region, there are multiple large-scale flood control structures and spillways that supplement the river's extensive levee system. These structures are strategically placed and help regulate the flow rate and level of the river during periods of high wa...

Inland ferries are oftentimes simple - they carry a handful of cars in a remote area where traffic volumes do not justify the need for a bridge.  Some are short, others are longer, and many do not have a lot of scenery.  Fortunately, many have a long and storied history. Middle Tennessee's Benton-Houston Ferry is a more recent ferry crossing that carries Tennessee Highway 147 across the Tennessee River. It began operation in November 2007 and connects Benton and Houston Counties. The cost to cross is $1 per vehicle. While it is a new ferry, there is still plenty of history around you. The Houston County ferry landing is located in the former town of Danville.  Danville was a Tennessee River community  that flooded over when Kentucky Lake formed in the 1940s. There are a few remnants of Danville that you can still see from the ferry. The remains of the former Danville Transfer Elevator stand above the waters of Kentucky Lake. When you enter the ferry from the Houston...

  The Canal Street-Algiers Point Ferry is one of two crossings of the Mississippi River located at downtown New Orleans, connecting the foot of Canal Street in town with the Algiers Point section of the city on the river’s west bank. Like its neighboring ferries downriver, this crossing requires the payment of a toll and ferries depart from each landing every 30 minutes on most days. Unlike the other ferries, this crossing is not open to vehicles and is a pedestrian-only river crossing. The ferry is located at the deepest part of the Mississippi River, where the depth is about 210 ft across from Jackson Square. At this point, the typical flowrate is 600,000 cubic feet per second. That volume is roughly the equivalent of seven Olympic-sized swimming pools for every second that passes. The initial French settlement of New Orleans in 1718 was centered around what’s now Jackson Square and the historic French Quarter neighborhood in the city. The area around Algiers Point was first deve...