Rigolets Explained

Rigolets
Map:File:The Rigolets (Louisiana) - 2016 NOAA nautical chart.png
Pushpin Map:Louisiana
Subdivision Type1:Country
Subdivision Name1:United States
Subdivision Type2:State
Subdivision Name2:Louisiana
Length:8miles
Source1:Lake Pontchartrain
Source1 Coordinates:30.1778°N -89.7444°W
Mouth:Lake Borgne
Mouth Coordinates:30.1544°N -89.6253°W
Tributaries Left:Old Pearl River
Tributaries Right:Sawmill Pass

Rigolets is a 12.9 kilometer (8 mi) long deepwater strait in Louisiana. "Rigolets" comes from the word rigole, French for 'trench' or 'gutter'. The name is now locally pronounced "RIG-uh-leez".

The strait begins at 30.1778°N -89.7444°W and follows a generally eastward course to Lake Borgne, a lagoon in the Gulf of Mexico, and finally to the Gulf of Mexico, where it ends at 30.1544°N -89.6253°W. Along with nearby Chef Menteur Pass, the Rigolets connects Lake Pontchartrain and Lake St. Catherine in Louisiana to Lake Borgne, and then to the Gulf of Mexico.[1] [2] It forms the boundary between New Orleans (Orleans Parish) and St. Tammany Parish.

Tidal pass

As a deepwater tidal pass, the Rigolets helps supply salt water from the Gulf to Lake Pontchartrain.[3] Tidal scouring has produced a deep pit in the lake at the western mouth of the strait.[4] Since the Rigolets is a channel through which Gulf storm surges can approach the New Orleans area, there have been proposals to construct floodgates to try to protect the city, especially since the destructiveness of hurricanes in the early 21st century.[5]

Fort Pike

See main article: article and Fort Pike. The United States constructed Fort Pike following the War of 1812 to protect passage on the Rigolets.[6] The fort was abandoned in 1890 when it was no longer considered necessary.

Bridges

The Rigolets is spanned by two bridges. The western terminus of the U.S. Route 90 Rigolets Bridge is located immediately north of Fort Pike. It was damaged by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, and required major repairs.[7] Farther south, CSX Transportation crosses the Rigolets on a 1,388-meter (4,555-ft) railroad bridge.[8] Hurricane damage there from Katrina included shifted spans and the loss of timber decking.[9]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: [{{Gnis3|540673}} The Rigolets ]. live . https://archive.today/20240424172152/https://edits.nationalmap.gov/apps/gaz-domestic/public/gaz-record/540673 . 2024-04-24 . 2006-04-17 . USGS Geographic Names Information System.
  2. Web site: Comprehensive Habitat Management Plan for the Lake Pontchartrain Basin . Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation . 2005-11-18 . PDF . https://web.archive.org/web/20060316062557/http://www.saveourlake.org/pdfs/CHMP%2011-18-05%20web%20release.pdf . dead . 2006-03-16 . 2006-04-15 .
  3. Web site: Martello Castle Background Information . usurped . https://web.archive.org/web/20050504174330/http://www.wetmaap.org/Martello_Castle/Supplement/mc_background.html . 2005-05-04 . 2006-04-17 . Wetland Education through Maps and Aerial Photography . Chadron State College & USGS - National Wetlands Research Center.
  4. Web site: Connor . Paul, Jr. . Maygarden . Dinah . Penland . Shea . Basin Geology - Bathymetry: Bathymetric Map of Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20231201163257/https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2002/of02-206/geology/bath-map.html . 2023-12-01 . 2006-04-17 . Environmental Atlas of the Lake Pontchartrain Basin . Center for Coastal & Regional Marine Studies, Coastal & Marine Geology Program . USGS Open File Report 02-206.
  5. Web site: Full flood safety in New Orleans could take billions and decades . Louisiana Dept. of Natural Resources . https://web.archive.org/web/20060718141311/http://dnr.louisiana.gov/sec/execdiv/pubinfo/newsr/2005/1129sec-nytimesreprint.ssi . dead . 2006-07-18 . 2006-04-17.
  6. Web site: July 27, 2009 . Fort Pike (Hwy 11, Slidell, LA, USA) . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20120229123007/http://www.stoppingpoints.com/louisiana/St.-Tammany/Fort+Pike.html . 2012-02-29 . 2024-04-24 . StoppingPoints.com . Louisiana State Historical Marker; Listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
  7. Louisiana Dept. of Transportation & Development . 2005-09-07 . DOTD inspects movable bridges in hurricane-affected area . https://web.archive.org/web/20060223164317/http://www.dotd.louisiana.gov/press/pressrelease.asp?nRelease=517 . dead . 2006-02-23 .
  8. News: Judge . Tom . November 2005 . Bridging to recovery: a massive effort to rebuild six major bridges following Hurricane Katrina's devastation is now under way on CSXT's Gulf Coast main trunk . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20060210233544/http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1215/is_11_206/ai_n15895243 . 2006-02-10 . . Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation . Bristol . 46-47 . 206 . 11 . 0033-8826 .,,, Factiva RWA0000020051203e1b100013 . 2161511X.
  9. Web site: Restoring Katrina-ravaged bridges . Railway Track and Structures . 2006-04-15 . https://web.archive.org/web/20060314082017/http://www.rtands.com/B/feature2.html . March 14, 2006.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Rigolets".

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