KEY TAKEAWAYS: Lake Pontchartrain Causeway stretches nearly 24 miles across water Holds Guinness World Record for longest continuous bridge over water About 40,000 vehicles cross daily, taking 20–30 minutes Drivers can experience disorientation due to long stretches without land in sight   The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway in South Louisiana is the longest bridge in the U.S. and is the longest continuous bridge over water in the world. The causeway consists of two parallel bridges spanning nearly 24 miles, measuring 126,122 feet. Roughly 40,000 vehicles traverse across Lake Pontchartrain Causeway daily and it takes 20 to 30 minutes to cross. Lake Pontchartrain Causeway holds Guinness World Record for longest bridge over water in the world The first stretch of Lake Pontchartrain Causeway was opened in 1956 and the second was opened in 1969. The parallel bridges are supported by over 9,500 concrete pilings. The bridge was designed with the purpose to connect the urban area of New Orleans with communities on the other side of Lake Pontchartrain like Metairie and Mandeville. The causeway currently holds the Guinness World Record for the longest continuous span of bridge over water in the world, says IFLScience. Do people hallucinate while driving over Lake Pontchartrain? When driving along Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, there reaches a point where there’s no land in sight, only water and the stretch of concrete vehicles drive upon, for about eight miles. While drivers may not ‘hallucinate’ in the literal sense, driving along the causeway can induce psychological stress, vertigo and spatial disorientation. The monotonous scenery, view of expansive water and potentially high-risk fog has made some drivers report losing their sense of time, zoning out or even seeing things that aren’t there, says MotorBiscuit. Louisiana is home to 5 of the 10 longest bridges in the U.S. Five of the 10 longest bridges in the U.S. are found in Louisiana. Here are the top 10 longest bridges: Lake Pontchartrain Causeway (Louisiana): 23.8 miles Manchac Swamp Bridge (Louisiana): 22.8 miles Atchafalaya Basin Bridge (Louisiana): 18.2 miles Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel (Virginia): 17.6 miles Mobile Bay Bridge (Alabama): 12.87 miles San Mateo-Hayward Bridge (California): 11.27 miles Bonnet Carré Spillway Bridge (Louisiana): 11 miles General W.K. Wilson Jr. Bridge (Alabama): 9.78 miles Louisiana Highway 1 Bridge (Louisiana): 8.26 miles Seven Mile Bridge (Florida): 6.79 miles Presley Bo Tyler is a reporter for the Louisiana Deep South Connect Team for USA Today. Find her on X @PresleyTyler02 and email at [email protected] This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: How long is the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway. It’s the longest in the world Reporting by Presley Bo Tyler, Shreveport Times / Shreveport Times USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect ...read more read less