New Orleans Pontchartrain Bridge Company

Finding funds to construct the Maestri Bridge in New Orleans.

This rare prospectus was published in 1926 by Kauffman, Smith, & Co. of St. Louis to stimulate funding for the construction of a bridge across Lake Pontchartrain, outside of New Orleans. Approximately 25 such toll bridges (both publicly and privately owned) were constructed in the years between 1921 and 1931, reflecting a rise in popularity that corresponded with the increasingly ubiquitous use of the automobile. The proposal provides information on the construction plans, organization, and financial details of the New Orleans Pontchartrain Bridge Company.

A map on the back page, designed by Ford, Bacon & Davis, shows the state highways and country roads immediately surrounding New Orleans, with an inset highlighting the precise location of the bridge. Apparently, the prospectus was a success, because the Pontchartrain Bridge (known later as the Watson-Williams Pontchartrain Bridge, Five Mile Bridge, and Maestri Bridge) opened in 1928 as the longest concrete bridge in the world for the time.

Unfortunately for the company, this did not translate into fame or fortune, as had hoped. Louisiana Governor Huey Long was a vocal opponent of toll bridges and promoted the state-sponsored construction of two (free) bridges, just to the east. As described by Frank Parker in 1931;

“The Lake Pontchartrain Bridge built by the New Orleans Pontchartrain Bridge Company across Lake Pontchartrain in Louisiana just north of New Orleans similarly encountered severe competition from free highway bridges and free ferries sponsored by the State of Louisiana. The Pontchartrain Bridge was beset with unforeseen difficulties immediately after its opening February 18, 1928.

Political agitation in Louisiana in favor of free highway bridges to be constructed at Chef Menteur and The Rigolets handicapped the prospects of the Pontchartrain Bridge from the start. In addition, the State of Louisiana established a system of free ferries along the routes of the proposed new bridges. The actual and potential competition, coupled with an annual tax burden of $87,000, resulted in the receivership of the New Orleans Ponchartrain Bridge Company in February, 1929.”

Source.