Interstate 610 (Louisiana)

Interstate 610
Route information
Maintained by LaDOTD
Length:	4.52 mi (7.27 km)
Existed:	1956 – present
Major junctions
West end:	I-10 at the Orleans-Jefferson parish line
East end:	I-10 in New Orleans
Highway system
Auxiliary route of the Interstate Highway System Main • Auxiliary • Business Highways in Louisiana ← LA 609 LA 610 →

Interstate 610 (abbreviated I-610) is a 4.52 miles (7.27 km) long auxiliary route of Interstate 10 that lies entirely within the boundaries of New Orleans, Louisiana.

Route description

The western terminus is at I-10 at the 17th Street Canal, which forms the boundary between Orleans Parish and Jefferson Parish. The eastern terminus is at I-10 near Franklin Avenue in the Gentilly neighborhood of the city, just west of where I-10 crosses the Industrial Canal, which links the Mississippi River with Lake Pontchartrain.

While I-10 continues into the Central Business District of New Orleans, I-610 provides a shorter route and a bypass for motorists by cutting east and west through City Park.

History

The idea for I-610 goes back to around 1956, when a consultant firm proposed building a federal-aid highway along the current route next to an existing railroad. The proposed route would cut through City Park. During public hearings in 1958, there was a lot of debate about the highway cutting through the park.

The state purchased the right-of-way in City Park in 1966 and began construction of I-610 in 1971. In 1972, a lawsuit was filed, citing that the project violated a 1968 law forbidding the use of parkland as a route for highways unless there was no other alternative route and steps were taken to mitigate park damage. The state eventually prevailed and I-610 was completed in the late 1970s.

Exit list

The entire route is in New Orleans, Orleans Parish.

Mile	Exit	Destinations	Notes
		I-10 west – Baton Rouge
	1B	I-10 east – New Orleans Business District	No westbound entrance
	1A	West End Boulevard, Canal Boulevard
	2A	St. Bernard Avenue	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance only
	2C	Paris Avenue	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance only
	2B	US 90 west (New Orleans Street, North Broad Street)	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance only
	3	LA 3021 (Elysian Fields Avenue)
	4	Franklin Avenue	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance only
		I-10 east – Slidell	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance only
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi      Concurrency terminus •      Closed/former •      Incomplete access •      Unopened