1. The northbound span is actually slightly longer than the companion southbound span. The bridge opened on February 18, 1928, as the first permanent crossing of Lake Pontchartrain. The Causeway is actually two parallel bridges of 24 miles each with an aggregate length of 48 miles. There is a one mile prohibited zone on both the east and west sides of the Causeway Bridge for its entire length. In 2011, China claimed that its Jiaozhou Bay Bridge(26.5 miles) was the longest spanning water. The causeway or bridge that cuts across lake pontchartrain is the longest bridge in the world across a body of water (continuously) at nearly 24 miles in length. Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, Louisiana (24 miles (38.5 km)) Image Source. It consists of two parallel bridges which crosses Lake Pontchartrain in southern Louisiana, United States. The 23.87 mile long bridge spans 1/1000th of the earth's circumference on its trek between Metairie and Mandeville. The GNOEC operates a VTS (Vessel Traffic Service) on Lake Pontchartrain. It was the first-ever bridge to be constructed with hollow concrete pilings. The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway Bridge is a pair of parallel twin bridges approximately 24 miles long. Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, Louisiana (24 miles) ake Pontchartrain Causeway also is known as the causeway is the logest bridge in usa with an estimates distance of 24 miles. The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway's direct, point to point overwater distance is 24 miles." Length: 24 miles (38.5 km). The Maestri Bridge (originally known as the Pontchartrain Bridge and later as the Watson-Williams Pontchartrain Bridge and the Five Mile Bridge) carries U.S. Route 11 (US 11) across Lake Pontchartrain between New Orleans and Slidell, Louisiana, in the United States.. History. The length of the bridge is 23.83 miles. The Qingdao's longest, point to point (direct) distance over water appears to be about 16 miles. Both bridges rest on 9,500 concrete pilings, each has a diameter of 55 inches. CNN.com takes a look at 10 of the the world's longest bridges and gives a nod to the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, not only for its length but for the scary factor as well. Pair of prestressed concrete bridges over Lake Pontchartrain with a length of nearly 24 miles Location New Orleans, St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, and Jefferson Parish, Louisiana Status Open to two lanes of toll southbound traffic and two lanes of free northbound traffic History First bridge built 1956 Dimensions Length of largest span: 180.1 ft. After some controversy in 2011 after which it was named “longest bridge over water (continuous)”. All commercial traffic communicates with drawbridge operators and is plotted and tracked on radar while traversing the lake. Joining the north and south of the city of New Orleans, Louisiana, this causeway bridge has held the Guinness World Record for the longest bridge in the world since 1969. 1. A drive northbound across Lake Pontchartrain on the world's longest overwater bridge. In short, I covered 1.3 miles of the 2.6 mile long roost (this total length is based on the whitewash on the bridge under structure viewed from a motorboat in daylight the previous weekend), and estimated 125,000; thus, my best guess is 250,000 birds. There is no place to stop along the way and nothing really to see unless you are traveling it during sunrise or sunset. How long is the bridge over Lake Pontchartrain? An unnumbered route, the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway holds the distinction as the longest over-water highway in the world. So that makes it a bucket list item.