The bridge originally named the Luling–Destrehan Bridge, was dedicated by Governor David C. Treen and Bishop Stanley Ott of Baton Rouge and opened to traffic on October 6, 1983 connecting Louisiana Highway 18 on the West Bank and Louisiana Highway 48 on the East Bank.

The superstructure and West approaches of the Hale Boggs Bridge were designed by the prime consultant, Frankland and Leinhard of New York, NY (E. Stanley Jarosz, Vice-president & Chief Engineer, & Myron Lepkaluk, President).

The James F. Lincoln Arc Welding Foundation recognized Jarosz's and Frankland & Leinhard's design achievement with a major award in the year the bridge was completed.

The original construction was by a team headed by Williams Brothers Construction Co, Inc.[6][7] The Hale Boggs's design features an unpainted weathering steel towers and superstructure, an orthotropic steel box girder superstructure, and two planes of cables in a fan pattern.

It was later revealed all five crew members, including pilot Egidio "Gene" Auletta Sr., were impaired to varying degrees by alcohol consumption.