April 30, 1936 was ‘Bridge Day’ in the Twin Cities

MONROE, La. (KNOE) - On April 30, 1936 an opening ceremony was held for the newest bridge over the Ouachita River.

The bridge connected Monroe and West Monroe via U.S. Highway 80 (Louisville Avenue) - it ended five years of construction.

Governor James A. Noe led the opening ceremony and declared it “Bridge Day” in the Twin Cities. His daughter Gay cut the ribbon to open the structure.

The bridge was designed by the Strauss Bascule Bridge Company and built by the Vincennes Bridge Company. It is a metal double-leaf design that opens up to allow river traffic to pass when the water is high.

While most of the residents referred to it as the Louisville Avenue bridge, the original name was the P.M. Atkins Bridge. The name was in honor of Prentiss Marshall Atkins, Sr., a former chairman of the Louisiana State Highway Commission.

Since its opening the bridge has undergone several transformations. In 1950 the wood timbers were replaced with a metal grid deck. Other rehab projects were completed in 2008 and 2013.

In 1985 the bridge was renamed in memory of Rev. Lea Joyner who was a well-known Methodist minister and one of the first female pastors in the area. Joyner was murdered in March 1985.

In 2013 the bridge was determined eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.