Designed by Ralph Modjeski and opened in December 1935, the cantilevered steel through truss bridge was named for Louisiana Governor Huey P. Long who was assassinated on September 8 of that year. It is a four lane car bridge and a two track railroad over the Mississippi River. It was the first bridge over the Mississippi built in Louisiana and the 29th along the length of the River. The railroad is owned by the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad and the roadway is maintained by the Louisiana Department of Transportation.
With 4.35 miles of railway from abutment to abutment, it is the longest and highest steel railroad bridge in the United States.
Pelicans flying overhead. There is a huge plaque on the bridge with the Louisiana seal of a mother pelican feeding her babies.