I-10 East - Swamp to City: New Orleans, LA

Follows I-10 east from the swamp to US-90 Bus. Through downtown, across the Mississippi to Westbank.

[@chrishiggins4298]

There’s something so interesting to me about those original deck spans in Louisiana. Their architecture seems so brutalist and intense, with what looks like a large amount of trestles. Also love how quickly I-10 goes from middle of nowhere to civilization and into Metairie

[@Freewayjim]

Excellent observations.

[@midnightmystery544]

Love that about coming in from LaPlace how it's just boom, welcome to Kenner!

[@n8_vel868]

I find it crazy how much has changed in the past 12 years. Especially right after you get off the bonnet carre spillway bridge into Kenner. There are new bridges, safety walls and an expansion in an extra lane. This brings back many memories

[@Brady_Stewart_238]

Agreed

[@FreewayBrent]

It's so fascinating to see such a rapid transition from swampland to urban environment, in such a short time span. The reconstructed stretch of I-10 thru the western half of New Orleans is nice enough, but what makes it really stand out is that there's really nothing else like it, for hundreds of miles. Business 90 is such a neat freeway, and the Crescent City twin spans are totally awesome. Great video; I was really looking forward to seeing this one. Going on my favorites list.

[@wacodude86]

love your freeway videos, i like traveling big time, thanks for posting

[@Freewayjim]

Glad you enjoyed it and thank you for your service!

[@toyoscio]

Thank you for posting this video of a place many people will never visit.

[@Freewayjim]

+toyoscio Thank you for the comment and for watching!

[@toyoscio]

@@Freewayjim You're very welcome :}

[@ThePponu]

You can have N'orleans. I'll take the swamp. ;-) However, nice video. Thanks for sharing.

[@Freewayjim]

Thank you!

[@midnightmystery544]

I had no idea this was from like 2009 until I saw the Causeway interchange wasn't even done yet. Damn. And my God how much worse traffic is down here compared to a decade ago.

[@pjcski]

Awesome music 👍

[@Freewayjim]

Thank you!

[@Freewayjim]

Thank you! I try to mix the styles & genres up but at the end of the day I use what I feel fits the footage the best. Thanks for watching/listening.

[@BubbaBubbaphant809]

WHY R U BLOCKING THE LOGO

[@laureljade3476]

love the 90s piano touch to the song.

[@yossarian6799]

A few historical angles: That section of I-310 opened in 1993 or 1994 to connect to the Hale Boggs Bridge, which opened about a decade earlier and could only be accessed from U.S. 61. The bridge crosses the river at Luling, the site of the worst ferry accident in American history. In 1976, the MV George Prince collided with a freighter just before sunrise and capsized, taking 78 lives. The George Prince had been used at the Donaldsonville-Darrow crossing before the opening of the Sunshine Bridge in 1964. For years, my Dad took that ferry back and forth to Ascension Catholic High School, along with his buddy and classmate James Carville. The Pontchartrain Expressway was a natural location for a roadway, being built atop a filled-in canal, with many of the road and rail overpasses already in place. It was built to connect the Pontchartrain Causeway to the Greater New Orleans Bridge (known as the "Crescent City Connection" since the 1980s). The original roadway was more akin to a boulevard but was upgraded to expressway standards in the mid-1960s when it connected to the new expressway being built out to the suburbs... today's western portion of I-10. That stretch connected to Interstate 10 in 1973. A fierce battle was fought in the 1960s to prevent construction of an elevated expressway along the riverfront at the French Quarter. Thankfully, the opponents won the fight. I can't imagine what a horror the French Quarter would be with a brutal freeway separating it from the river. Read "The Second Battle of New Orleans" by Richard Baumbach for the whole story. The elevated section of I-10 built over Carrollton Avenue was one of the worst examples of myopic 1960s "Urban Renewal" thinking. Carrollton Avenue was a broad boulevard draped with beautiful massive oaks and was the heart of a thriving, middle-class black neighborhood. After the expressway was built, the area fell into massive decay and today is one of the worst crime areas of the city. There's a movement to have that section demolished and have I-610 take over I-10's route through the city, but unfortunately, there's no money to do this. Tearing down expressways ain't cheap!

[@Freewayjim]

Good info, thank you!

[@Freewayjim]

Thank you!

[@pjames8077]

Awesome video as well as song of choice! That drive makes me even more eager to get out there next year when I visit an old friend who currently lives there ⚜

[@johnnyfreedom5247]

The old Union 76 at Slidel was my favorite stop, I used to haul Xmas trees around Thanksgiving for a few years. Thanks for the wonderful memories.

[@Freewayjim]

Thanks for watching!

[@blaketoner8857]

well i havent been home in a long time due to being in the marine corps and finding this video made me feel like i was back home, i am from gretna born and raised. thanks

[@autopreneur]

thanx for taking me back to NOLA; wanted to go there this year (i have family down there), but work and time constraints prevented me from doing so. thanx again

[@alwayson09]

Very nice. Decided to drive down to New Orleans in December to take a nice Christmas cruise and spend time in the French Quarter...This video gave me a chance to see the final stretch of the 10 hour drive (and took away any apprehension about driving through the swamp). This will be the first time in a long while that we haven't flown, looking forward to it!

[@natethegreatforlife]

Nice video, going to New Orleans this summer along with some cities in Texas. I find it really cool how quick it goes from rural to urban, in most other metro areas (including my own) it's just a gradual change from rural to urban; developments start to appear, and then more appear, until you're in the suburbs.

[@MrJamesgrate]

Fantastic ride Jim, from:42 to 2:41 as you stated was completely over water, that was cool. If I didn't gaze to the left, I probably wouldn't have noticed.I love your music selection, it set the pace for an exhilarating ride.(GVJ) Great Video Jim!!!!

[@Freewayjim]

Thank you very much, that was a fun drive if I remember correctly, yeah driving in the New Orleans area can be pretty interesting.

[@MrJamesgrate]

Hey Jim, having a problem with notifications, I am wondering if you have any solutions in regard to fixing it, would much appreciate any help, nothing displays in the field.

[@Freewayjim]

Sorry, I don't really know what to do about that.

[@chiparoo222]

NICELY done ! Interesting and entertaining. Like your simple little window notes of explanation.

[@seanh2198]

Wayyy cool Jim! Love the music!

[@Freewayjim]

Thank you!

[@Freewayjim]

@Derham43 Thanks, we enjoyed our time in NO, visited the National WWII Museum, excellent!

[@AxmKap]

The west side as shown here is definitely the nicer side of town. I visited for the first time earlier this year and loved it, did a lot of driving around and was surprised to see a toll to cross that bridge back to New Orleans.

[@Sargebri]

Of course, living in Los Angeles I am fairly close to the western terminus of I-10 in Santa Monica. In fact, when I was a little kid I was confused seeing what I thought was the Santa Monica Freeway in New Orleans.lol. Thanks for posting a video of a place where I spent many a summer as well as several Christmases and a few Mardi Gras.

[@Freewayjim]

@jocee3 Thank you for the kind words, I'm glad you enjoyed the video and that is gives you a little slice of "home". I also have two from Baton Rouge if you have not seen them yet.

[@PelicanGuy]

You are correct when you said a flyover ramp didn't open in the 60s. That ramp (ramp from Power Blvd) opened in the 90s and the flyover ramp before that (from Williams Blvd) opened last decade.

[@Tomahawkin17]

I-10 through that area is one of my favorite drives since a lot of that is elevated over water...I didn't realize how tall the superdome is until you see it up close and us 90 is nice...Atlanta needs more of its U.S. Routes to be expressways

[@XTRABIG]

Deep soulful house!! I see you're a fan. Good stuff bro

[@Freewayjim]

Thank you, I like many kinds of music.

[@lisellesloan3191]

This is "soulful house"? Cool! I was going to say, thanks for playing some real music here, not just the hip-hop garbage that most people play on their videos.

[@Freewayjim]

Thanks.

[@Freewayjim]

@juvmol Thanks! Traffic is usually not that bad, I was going through here at afternoon rush hour. It's roughly about 5.5 to 6 hours from NO to Houston depending on your style of driving and stops.

[@iannis5110]

Great video. I now live in California but being from Laplace La, I have taken that route to New Orleans many times.

[@cynthiashumok6153]

Going that way you be in Marrero Louisiana I love Louisiana I love all the bridges that's in Louisiana their food is so awesome and delicious from Mobile Alabama wish that I could move there

[@toyoscio]

No you don't

[@theark-la-missrailfan]

I still like and want to go to Atlanta. But I live in Greenville,Mississippi.

[@debowh]

The thing I like about driving to New Orleans from Atlanta that know you are close to New Orleans once you approach all the bridges over swamps and wetlands

[@Freewayjim]

Yes indeed!

[@assaultislove]

It looks like we may have been in NOLA around the same time, I was just there last week. I've always liked the sudden transition between swamp and develoment along I-10.

[@Freewayjim]

@centuryrox I don't think a Hurricane would damage a freeway structure like that. I think it's part of a planned expansion of that interchange at some point.

[@StukInBuf]

7:48... When I lived in NOLA nearly 40 years ago, that cylinder hotel was owned by another hotel chain; the Holiday Inn was about 2-3 miles further ahead on the left, a 3-story structure. When we moved to NOLA, we stood there until getting the apartment; IIRC, their Sunday brunch was good.

[@Freewayjim]

About 14-15 miles, plus check my I-55 video before this, there are 21 miles of bridge then it merges with 10 just before where this video starts to make a 35 mile continuous bridge over swampland.

[@jasonsadventures64]

From 7:25 - 7:33, if you look on the horizon a little bit to the right, you can see a smokestack in the distance. That used to be Kaiser Aluminum in Chalmette. That's where I grew up. And I see they still drive crazy in New Orleans.

[@Freewayjim]

@CosmoPhotography Thanks, there are some interesting things to see there, got three more NO area videos coming up.

[@califgirl101]

Now that's what I call incredible! :)

[@MorseCoach]

Freewayjim at first I was skeptical about your music selections (earlier vids) but I must say I've come to enjoy your song features enormously. I am a music enthusiast, and a picky one at that; your musical tastes are exquisite. Thanks for the vids, and countless musical discoveries. (I'm particularly fond of your soul/dance/funk picks)

[@Freewayjim]

@FreewayBrent Thanks, glad you liked it. From a highway standpoint there is nowhere else like New Orleans, not the biggest or best but very interesting just the same.

[@Freewayjim]

@ScrewdUPClickV2 -Glad you enjoyed it, It's definitely an interesting place to explore.

[@Freewayjim]

@Trekker1801 -Thank you!, I'd like to re-shoot that I-95 video in HD too :)

[@Freewayjim]

I did in the bridges of the Miss River Bridges video. Dude I live in Atlanta I can't just run out and film videos in New Orleans on a whim.

[@Derham43]

Great ride and editing. Hope you had a great time in my original home city. The upgrades you mentioned occurred within the last three years. Traffic is usually at its worst traveling west during the time of day you passed through.

[@crash7066]

Thank You for posting this. Not the same as the real thing, but close. Homesick.

[@Freewayjim]

Crash 70 You are welcome, you may enjoy one of my latest offerings ofNew Orleans with new equipment. kzbin.info/www/bejne/aXjPgZilmbdle5I

[@Freewayjim]

@BigNotch504 Thanks, glad you enjoyed the ride!

[@Freewayjim]

Thanks, and I agree with your observation.

[@theark-la-missrailfan]

It was the perfect song choice

[@Freewayjim]

@Reikobaby I use a Sony HDR-HC9 Camera and Apple's Final Cut Express 4 for the video software.

[@centuryrox]

@colinstu My guess is that it may be damage left by Hurricane Katrina. I stayed at the La Quinta Inn visible just to the left of the freeway at 3:43 the year before Katrina hit, and I don't remember them being there at that time.

[@Freewayjim]

@eluko79 Thanks, gotta do the long ones once in a while :)

[@Freewayjim]

@autopreneur -You're welcome, glad you enjoyed it.

[@roxanaarteaga8397]

Uudd7

[@cami42874]

That's awesome footage

[@Freewayjim]

Thank you!

[@Freewayjim]

That's the only video it was in.

[@Freewayjim]

@PelicanGuy Thanks, it's easy to tell based on the construction and style of it.

[@PelicanGuy]

I-10 between Clearview Pkwy and Veterans Blvd. is now being widened to five lanes. The Causeway Blvd Interchange is now complete.

[@Freewayjim]

@0marigolds Thank you! did not get a chance to try the local fare but I hear it's "All-that" and then some.

[@adogg619]

New Orleans is an interesting city. Looking forward to your next piece of work. I also like the song you used "In The Bottle" I recognized it immediately from another video, but can't remember which one exactly. 5 stars!

[@fffics]

I am familiar with the section of I-10. I used to live in Slidell and go to New Orleans often.

[@Freewayjim]

@juvmol I did not get to the French Quarter, the Holiday Inn was $129, and the room was very nice. The area wasn't the best but the location was good, right off the highway and only a couple miles to downtown across the bridge.

[@EdgeXXI]

Do you plan to film the Lake Pontchartrain causeway? That'll be interesting. Been wanting to get to The Big Easy to show some support and love, after all they've been thru.

[@Corello1249]

I always come into New Orleans from Biloxi on I-10 westbound, so it's interesting to see the approach from the opposite direction. Have you done a video of the I-10 causeway between Slidell and New Orleans?

[@CosmoPhotography]

I was going to ask you about when the rehabilitation and widening of I-10 happened until I saw your annotation. I assume that was probably done after Katrina once the feds started pumping some relief money into the city? Those ghost ramps are also interesting. I drove this stretch a year or so ago and wondered what those were after coming off the Lake Pontchartrain Bridge. Super video! Can't wait to see what else you filmed in New Orleans!

[@Freewayjim]

@juvmol I don't know, we were only there overnight and visited the national World War II Museum which was incredible! I would definitely recommend that if you like history.

[@Freewayjim]

That is I-85 heading south to where it merges with I-75 to form the Downtown Connector.

[@itsalleternal]

@zorb58 - Not sure, but it may have to do with the fact it is right over water and there is no runoff area. From a geometric perspective alone, I would say 65 or 70 mph is more reasonable there. I would personally widen it to 6 lanes and build it higher to protect against hurricane damage (i.e. if Katrina had made landfall farther west).

[@StukInBuf]

I paused at 5:33... on the left at the junction of 10 and 61(Tulane Avenue), IIRC, was the Fountain Bay Club Hotel, with open air tennis courts.

[@EphemeralProductions]

Love Maysa! And have found a new song of hers that I like now! :)

[@mutt1256]

Great video the hotel looks really cool you don't see many like that any more. Sure would hate to have car problems on any of the bridges over the swaps or a accident.

[@Freewayjim]

@Corello1249 No, I did not get to film that part on this trip but hope to someday. Thanks for watching.

[@Freewayjim]

She has two versions of this song, both are great!

[@chrisjone6104]

Freewayjim can you do St Louis Missouri

[@atworkstation]

@Freewayjim I live 45 minutes from New Orleans. So on I-10 you usually run into some delays mostly after 4:30 in the afternoon.

[@Freewayjim]

I've never been through it at night but I imagine it would be. If you are driving from Miami to Houston you would avoid New Orleans by taking I-12 north of Lake Ponchartrain, it's a "normal" highway much shorter in time and distance.

[@thesurfgent4697]

And New Orleans skyline is very nice

[@Freewayjim]

@FreewayAndrew -It was filmed at rush hour, which was stated that twice in the video :(

[@ladytrucker6768]

Wow, been across here a few times...lol

[@christopherbuckley94]

That is a Maysa Leak song that I have not heard! I only went through NO on I-10 once and then opted to use I-12 on future trips west.

[@toyoscio]

That's nice

[@Freewayjim]

Whim: a sudden desire or change of mind, esp. one that is unusual or unexplained. You could have Googled it.

[@Ndizzyinthehizzy]

I couldnt imagine how busy this road was before Katrina.

[@Freewayjim]

@colinstu I would guess it's for future use.

[@Freewayjim]

Thanks for watching!

[@jollyomeatLA]

A lot of the land to the right for the first 2:23 is now mainly open water.

[@Freewayjim]

Ah you're very welcome.

[@Freewayjim]

@Darius3925 -Thank you!

[@renj6531]

I notice that lil silver Toyota pops up here and there

[@theark-la-missrailfan]

But when did you take the huey p long bridge video? What vid did you take it in? Not in the miss river bridge video. I mean what other vid was it from

[@FreewayAndrew]

Never been to New Orleans, nice job with the video. Was this filmed at rush hour, since at first I thought it was filmed early in the morning.

[@Freewayjim]

OK, Mea Culpa Time! I misspelled PONTCHARTRAIN, twice, my bad, it happens. Now I'm waiting to see if one viewer (not to be named) in particular notices and makes a remark about it :)

[@Freewayjim]

@hkfreak I did not to to that one, but I did go to one a few miles after the Westbank Expressway ends and we almost had an incident, lol.

[@Freewayjim]

@UnicornsRcute Thank you!

[@Freewayjim]

@aswchris It's not the first and it won't be the last typo.

[@Freewayjim]

@FreewayTitan Thanks!

[@Freewayjim]

No I have not been to Laredo, but I have driven I-37 from san Antonio to Corpus Christi and that was pretty dull.

[@theark-la-missrailfan]

Union Pacific at 5:12. That was the train on the bridge over i10

[@theark-la-missrailfan]

On the intro in Atlanta what highway or interstate was that? I like and want to go to Atlanta

[@StukInBuf]

5:43... That road crossing over the I-10 has to be Jefferson Davis Parkway. The Fox8 studios are just off to the right of that crossover.