U.S. 90 Business East

The first eastbound Business U.S. 90 shield lies along the ramp from U.S. 90 east to the Westbank Expressway.

08/02/02

Travelers joining U.S. 90 Business from U.S. 90 west at Avondale loop under a 1941 bridge that carries the U.S. 90 mainline over a Union Pacific Railroad line. An at-grade intersection follows with the westbound ramp to U.S. 90 eastbound.

11/20/08

Roadways of the Westbank Expressway come together ahead of Claiborne Parkway. Future Interstate 49 shields such as this one were installed along U.S. 90 Business in the 1990s.
This assembly however was removed by 2008 and not replaced.

08/02/02

Segnette Boulevard meanders southwest from U.S. 90 Business to Lapalco and Nicolle Boulevards alongside Bayou Segnette State Park. The divided highway also serves Segnette Field and the John C. Alario, Sr. Event Center.

11/20/08

Beechgrove Boulevard sees a traffic light with U.S. 90 Business next. The local road provides the main access point to an apartment complex and adjacent subdivision.

11/20/08

Drake Avenue and U.S. 90 Business come together at a set of flashers, after the Westbank Expressway expands to include a large grassy median. The median is slated for an eventual extension of the freeway portion west from Marrero. Drake Avenue otherwise comprises the entrance to Bayou Signette State Park to the south and a residential road to the north.

11/20/08

U.S. 90 Business eastbound approaching the southern terminus of LA 18 Spur (Louisiana Street). This short connector route joins the Westbank Expressway with LA 18 (4th Street) in north Westwego.

11/20/08

Entering the eastbound U.S. 90 Business intersection with LA 18 Spur (Louisiana Street). Louisiana Street continues south alongside Bayou Segnette, serving a few marine based industries. LA 18S north to LA 18 west leads to Nine Mile Point and Bridge City.

08/02/02

11/20/08

Avenue D crosses the Westbank Expressway at the next traffic light in Westwego.

11/20/08

Eastbound U.S. 90 Business at Avenue H in Westwego.

11/20/08

U.S. 90 passes over Westwego Drainage Canal and quickly intersects Tanglewood Drive, a north-south connector between the Westbank Expressway and Lapalco Boulevard. Lapalco constitutes a major arterial route serving the south side of Westwego and suburban areas east to LA 23 (Belle Chase Highway).

11/20/08

Central Avenue leads north from U.S. 90 Business to LA 18 (4th Street) and south to Lapalco Boulevard from the traffic light with Westbank Expressway.

11/20/08

Victory Drive straddles the east side of Westwego and meets the Westbank Expressway at a signalized intersection.

11/20/08

Older guide signage and shield posted for the upcoming upgrade of the Westbank Expressway to freeway standards. Older Louisiana U.S. shields utilize series "B" of the Highway Gothic font series. The reference to the Westbank as simply "Expressway" is an older signing practice, similar to the state of New Jersey with how it signs the Atlantic City Expressway.

08/02/02

11/20/08

Westwood Drive is the last traffic light encountered along U.S. 90 Business eastbound before the freeway beginning.

11/20/08

The left lane defaults onto the freeway portion of the Westbank Expressway. Motorists continuing straight will find themselves on the eastbound frontage road. Although only allocated two lanes at the onset, the Westbank Expressway quickly widens to three eastbound lanes.

04/20/12

The U.S. 90 Business mainline veers onto the freeway as the frontage road continues at-grade to Ames Boulevard. An off-ramp exists to Ames Boulevard in the westbound direction and is signed as Exit 4A.

04/20/12

The freeway immediately elevates above the frontage roads and surrounding environs, and remains on viaducts eastward to the Greater New Orleans Bridge toll plaza.

04/20/12

The first three exits for U.S. 90 Business (Westbank Expressway) are displayed on this overhead. This is the first in a series of interchange sequence sign posted within the center of the Westbank Expressway.

04/20/12

Exit 4B serves the Jean Lafitte National Historic Park and Preserve via LA 45 (Barataria Boulevard) south and Avenue D, a north-south arterial within Marrero, via the eastbound frontage road.

06/10/06

The Westbank Expressway has its own set of exit numbers. The only other instance of a non-Interstate freeway within the state of Louisiana with exit numbers is the LA 3132 outer-loop of Shreveport.
Exit 4B to LA 45 (Barataria Boulevard) is the first off-ramp from the freeway.

04/20/12

An exit-only lane departs for Exit 4B / Barataria Boulevard. LA 45 begins at nearby LA 18 (4th Street) and travels southward through Jefferson Parish to the small town of Lafitte on the body of water known as "The Pen".

04/20/12

Eastbound reassurance marker posted for U.S. 90 Business at Marrero.

04/20/12

An interchange sequence sign highlights the next three interchanges of U.S. 90 Business east. The high-level Harvey Canal Bridge rises in the background.

04/20/12

Departing the freeway next is the Mac Arthur Avenue off-ramp (Exit 5) at east Marrero. Mac Arthur Avenue travels south from LA 18 (4th Street) to Patriot Street parallel to LA 3018 (Destrehan Avenue).

04/20/12

Nearing Exit 5, the last before the Harvey Canal crossing on U.S. 90 Business eastbound. This interchange serves the Harvey community and LA 3018 (Destrahan Avenue) south from LA 18 (4th Street) to Lapalco Boulevard.

04/20/12

The Mac Arthur Avenue off-ramp (Exit 5) departs the Westbank Expressway eastbound in this scene. Use Exit 5 onto the eastbound frontage road for the Harvey Tunnel beneath U.S. 90 Business. The 1957-built tunnel preceded the high-level bridge as the crossing of Harvey Canal.

04/20/12

The Westbank Expressway begins the ascent across the six lane Harvey Canal Bridge. The waterway links the Mississippi River with the Intracoastal Waterway to the south near New Orleans Naval Air Station.

04/20/12

Traveling across the crest of the Harvey Canal Bridge on U.S. 90 Business east. Exits 6, 7, and 8, serve the Westbank communities of Harvey and Gretna over the course of 2.25 miles.

04/20/12

Exit 6 joins U.S. 90 Business with Manhattan Boulevard via the Westbank Expressway frontage roads. Manhattan Boulevard heads south from LA 18 (4th Street) through Harvey to Gretna and Lapalco Boulevards and suburbs along Bayou Barataria.

04/20/12

The Westbank Expressway kinks northeast ahead of the Manhattan Boulevard off-ramp (Exit 5). Areas surrounding the frontage road intersections with Manhattan Boulevard are commercialized, as is the drive southward to Lapalco.

04/20/12

U.S. 90 Business eastbound at the Exit 6 ramp departure to Manhattan Boulevard. A u-turn ramp below the freeway serves the westbound frontage road to Peters Road (LA 3017) along Harvey Canal.

04/20/12

The Westbank Expressway next meets the eastern terminus of LA 18 (Lafayette Street) and LA 23 (Belle Chase Highway) at Exit 7. The two routes come together underneath the freeway in the city of Gretna.

04/20/12

LA 23 (Belle Chase Highway) leads south from the Westbank Expressway to the Belle Chase Tunnel and New Orleans Naval Air Station and Joint Reserve Base. LA 23 constitutes the main route to Boothville and Venice in extreme southeastern Louisiana. These communities and much of Plaquemines Parish were devastated from the landfall of Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005.

04/20/12

The Manhattan Boulevard on-ramp forms an auxiliary lane for LA 18 (Lafayette Street) west and LA 23 (Belle Chase Highway). LA 18 begins and travels west along the Mississippi River to Harvey, Marrero, Harahan and points northwest. LA 23 north follows the Westbank Expressway frontage road system east to Franklin Avenue in Gretna.

04/20/12

Exit 7 departs the Westbank Expressway as the freeway begins to curve northward in anticipation of the Greater New Orleans Bridges. LA 18 follows Lafayette Street north to 4th Street west and represents the original pathway of U.S. 90 through Gretna, Harvey, and Marrero.

04/20/12

U.S. 90 Business eastbound shield assembly posted as the freeway approaches the Lafayette Street (LA 23) under crossing.

11/20/08

U.S. 90 Business intersects Stumpf Boulevard at the Exit 8 diamond interchange in one half mile. Stumpf Boulevard ventures south from LA 466 (5th Street) to Terry Parkway and Terrytown.

04/20/12

The LA 18 and 23 on-ramp forms an auxiliary line for Stumpf Boulevard (Exit 8). Stumpf Boulevard meets LA 23 (Franklin Avenue) just north of the freeway and Gretna Boulevard to the southeast.

04/20/12

Eastbound U.S. 90 Business at the Exit 8 off-ramp to Stumpf Boulevard in Gretna. Adjacent Franklin Avenue carries the LA 23 designation north to its conclusion at LA 428 (Burmaster Street).

04/20/12

The Westbank Expressway enters Orleans Parish and the city of New Orleans at the directional cloverleaf interchange (Exit 9) with LA 428 (General De Gaulle Drive). Interstate 10 appears for the first time along U.S. 90 Business on the interchange sequence sign posted after the Stumpf Boulevard off-ramp.

04/20/12

Signs for the Greater New Orleans Bridge toll plaza lie ahead of the Exit 9 off-ramp to Terry Parkway and LA 428 (General De Gaulle Drive). Exit 9 joins the eastbound frontage road ahead of Terry Parkway and its end at LA 428. Terry Parkway begins and travels southeast from the frontage roads to Terrytown and LA 23 (Belle Chase Highway).

04/20/12

A pair of signs advise motorists that Exit 9 is the last before the Greater New Orleans Bridge toll plaza. These should be black on yellow.

04/20/12

Nearing the ramp departure of Exit 9 to Terry Parkway south and LA 428 (General De Gaulle Drive). LA 428 forms a loop through Gretna and the Algiers section of New Orleans utilizing Burmaster, Franklin and Newton Streets. General De Gaulle Drive (LA 423) comprises a busy surface arterial east from Franklin Avenue (LA 23) to the LA 407 Intracoastal Waterway Bridge.

04/20/12

U.S. 90 Business eastbound at the Exit 9 ramp departure onto the eastbound frontage road. LA 428 travels east from the Westbank Expressway to LA 407 (Woodland Drive) and west to Franklin Avenue. East from Algiers, General Meyer Avenue carries LA 428 to the north end of LA 407. Exit 9 also serves Naval Support Activity New Orleans base at the north end of Shirley Drive.

04/20/12

One half mile out from the former bridge toll plaza on U.S. 90 Business east. Flyover ramps to Terry Parkway south and LA 428 east from U.S. 90 Business west travel above. A distance sign lists the distance to the New Orleans central business district and Interstate 10 (Pontchartrain Expressway).

04/20/12

Reversible carpool lanes commence from the Crescent City Connection approach westward across to Downtown New Orleans. These lanes are restricted to HOV-2 eligible motorists.

04/20/12

Attached to the LA 428 (General Degaulle Drive) flyover were toll tag signs for the former toll plaza. LA DOTD CCCD (Crescent City Connection Division) Toll Tags were introduced in 1989. GeauxPass is the statewide toll collection system since summer of 2009.

04/20/12

The westbound entrance to the reversible HOV-2 roadway across the Crescent City Connection. These lanes eventually travel above the Pontchartrain Expressway mainline to Earhart Boulevard by the Superdome.

04/20/12

Historical view of the Crescent City Connection toll plaza on U.S. 90 Business eastbound. Toll collection ceased in May 2013 after voters overwhelmingly rejected a 20-year extension of tolls at the crossing. The former rate was $1.00 per passenger vehicle.

11/20/08

The toll plaza along U.S. 90 Business east was demolished in 2016.

04/20/12

Ascending the Greater New Orleans Bridge of U.S. 90 Business eastbound. The (eastbound) Crescent City Connection span opened to traffic on September 30, 1988. The (westbound) Greater New Orleans Bridge opened April 15, 1958. The 94-feet wide road deck travels 3,019 feet. Construction costs associated with the bridge and the east and west approaches totaled $600 million. The bridge is the southernmost Mississippi River crossing in the United States and is 95.7 miles north of the mouth of the river.¹ Merging onto the bridge from the left is the HOV-2 reversible roadway. The HOV facility carries two lanes southbound during the evening peak hours and two lanes northbound during the morning peak hours of traffic.

11/20/08

04/20/12

The first downtown New Orleans exit is that of Exit 11A to Tchoupitoulas Street. The one mile guide sign resides ahead of the bridge superstructure.

11/20/08

04/20/12

Tchoupitoulas Street heads south from the central business district to River Garden, the Mississippi River levee and Audubon Park. Exit 11A serves the riverside Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.

11/20/08

04/20/12

The newer eastbound bridge carries four lanes into New Orleans, with two more allocated for the reversible HOV-lanes. The jersey barrier to the left separates the two roadways.

04/20/12

11/19/11

High rises from the NOLA central business district come into view along the north side of the Crescent City Connection.

04/20/12

Exit 11 to Tchoupitoulas Street departs and winds downward to the street grid near the convention center. Departing next is the Camp Street off-ramp to downtown and the National WWII Museum.

11/20/08

04/20/12

Magnificent views are afforded to passengers along the U.S. 90 Business descent from the Crescent City Connection onto the Pontchartrain Expressway.

04/20/12

Eastbound near the Camp Street off-ramp to the Warehouse District. Camp Street heads north to Canal and Chartres Street and the Vieux Carre. The exit also includes a ramp onto Andrew Higgens Drive east to Convention Center Boulevard.

04/20/12

U.S. 90 Business (Pontchartrain Expressway) eastbound actually travels northwest from the bridge to Interstate 10. The orientation skirts the western reaches of the central business district to New Orleans Arena.

04/20/12

The HOV-2 elevated roadway travels between the east and westbound roadways of the Pontchartrain Expressway. Pictured here is the carpool viaduct and the two lane ramp departure to Camp Street north and Andrew Higgens Drive east.

04/20/12

Next in line for eastbound travelers is the O'Keefe Avenue off-ramp. O'Keefe Avenue provides a direct route to Downtown and the Superdome via Girod Street.

04/20/12

The Calliope Street on-ramp forms an auxiliary lane to O'Keefe Avenue north on U.S. 90 Business east. The O'Keefe Avenue exit ties into Howard Avenue nearby and Poydras Street three blocks to the north. Both the Mercedes-Benz Superdome (home of the NFL New Orleans Saints) and the Smoothie King Center (home of the NBA New Orleans Pelicans) reside nearby.

04/20/12

New Orleans Arena comes into view at the O'Keefe Avenue off-ramp off the Pontchartrain Expressway north. Use the exit also for the Warehouse District and New Orleans City Hall.

04/20/12

The HOV-2 viaduct prepares to descend to its end at Earhart Boulevard at Magnolia Street. U.S. 90 Business meanwhile nears its conclusion at the Interstate 10 and U.S. 90 interchange. Departing next is the Earhart Boulevard westbound ramp to Claiborne Avenue (U.S. 90).

04/20/12

The view of Downtown from U.S. 90 Business (Pontchartrain Expressway) above O.C. Haley Street.

04/20/12

The Pontchartrain Expressway passes by the New Orleans Arena and Superdome ahead of the Interstate 10 stack interchange. The Superdome roof was damaged severely from the winds of Hurricane Katrina and at the time the facility was used as an evacuation shelter. The levee failure and rising flood waters forced a quick evacuation of the Superdome in the days after the August 29, 2005 hurricane landfall. Unfortunately the stadium was inadequately suited for the needs of storm refugees and many died as a result. Many months later, construction was underway to repair the Superdome roof in time for the September 25, 2006 Saints home opener versus the Atlanta Falcons.

06/10/06

The Pontchartrain Expressway gains a frontage street system from the Convention Center northwest to the merge with Interstate 10. Earhart Boulevard represents the parallel surface streets from Loyola Avenue north to Claiborne Avenue (U.S. 90). U.S. 90 follows Claiborne Avenue, in the shadow of Interstate 10, from Canal Street to Jefferson Highway at the Jefferson Parish line.

04/20/12

Drivers bound for U.S. 90 (Claiborne Avenue) west depart the U.S. 90 Business eastbound freeway onto Earhart Boulevard north. Earhart Boulevard continues north from Claiborne Avenue to the Jefferson Parish line and Earhart Expressway. A portion of the boulevard and the freeway carry the designation of LA 3139. LA 3139 follows the freeway west from New Orleans to Clearview Parkway and Dickory Avenue. The alignment was proposed to tie into the unconstructed Vieux Carre Expressway (Interstate 310).

04/20/12

A lone U.S. 90 Business reassurance marker lies ahead of the U.S. 90 (Claiborne Avenue) eastbound off-ramp.

06/10/06

11/20/08

Traveling alongside New Orleans Arena (rebranded as the Smoothie King Center in 2014), home of the NBA New Orleans Pelicans (renamed in 2013 from the Hornets) since their relocation from Charlotte, North Carolina in 2002.

04/20/12

U.S. 90 Business east splits into ramps for U.S. 90 (Claiborne Avenue) east to Canal Street and Mid City, Interstate 10 east to Slidell, and Interstate 10 west to Metairie and Baton Rouge.

11/20/08

04/20/12

The confluence of Interstate 10, U.S. 90 (Clairborne Avenue) and U.S. 90 Business lies just north of the Superdome. The sports venue was renamed the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on October 23, 2011 and eventually the Caesars Superdome.

04/20/12

Eastbound at the U.S. 90 (Claiborne Avenue) eastbound off-ramp. Claiborne Avenue intersects Poydras Street adjacent to the Superdome before traveling underneath the Interstate 10 viaduct. U.S. 90 turns northwest onto Tulane Avenue to U.S. 61 at South Broad Avenue.
Between 2008 and 2012, lanes were restriped to provide an outisde shoulder at the cost of one of the three through lanes onto Interstate 10 west.

04/20/12

A single-lane off-ramp leaves U.S. 90 Business east for Interstate 10 east to Gentilly, Lake Forest, New Orleans East, and Slidell. The Pontchartrain Expressway mainline defaults onto Interstate 10 westbound for Mid City, Lakeview, and Metairie.

04/20/12

Continuing northward along the Pontchartrain Expressway, motorists join the left side of Interstate 10 west at a wye interchange.

11/20/08

Exit 232 with U.S. 61 (Airline Drive north / Tulane Avenue south) and Carrollton Avenue is the next Interstate 10 westbound interchange.

11/20/08