BATON ROUGE – The third of six phases of the $40.8 million I-10/Picardy Avenue interchange project is set to begin with realignment of traffic the night of Tuesday, May 31, according to the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development.

            Mike Vosburg, project engineer for District 61, said eastbound traffic on I-10 will be redirected beginning May 31 to the newly built inside lane and inside shoulder. Within three weeks, or by June 21, the same traffic realignment will occur on the westbound side.

As with the previous phase, periodic lane closures will occur in Phase III, but will be limited to nighttime hours (8 p.m. to 6 a.m.) on Sundays through Thursdays. At all other times, two lanes of traffic will be maintained. No lane closures will be allowed on weekends (between 6 a.m. Friday and 8 p.m. Sunday) or on holidays.

The project, aimed at alleviating congestion on I-10 at Bluebonnet and Siegen Lane, involves construction of two, one-way frontage roads running east and west along the interstate between Bluebonnet and Siegen. Additionally, the section of I-10 between Bluebonnet and Siegen is being widened and reconstructed.

            The inside lanes and inside shoulders on both sides were built in Phase II. In the third phase, which encompasses the bulk of the project, contractor James Construction Group, LLC, will construct an outside lane and shoulder on each side of the interstate; complete the frontage roads; and complete the Picardy Avenue overpass.

The frontage road on the westbound side will be elevated 30 feet high, Vosburg said, to tie into the new Picardy overpass. Certain bridge approaches on the eastbound frontage road also will be elevated, he said.

The work in Phase III should be completed by June 2006. Completion of the entire six-phase project is expected by end of 2006.

Motorists on Bluebonnet who want to get to Siegen must to get on I-10 eastbound at present. When the six-phase project is completed, Vosburg explained, motorists instead will turn onto the eastbound service road. The interstate on-ramps also will be accessed from the service roads on both sides. The Picardy overpass between Bluebonnet and Siegen will tie into the back of the Mall of Louisiana and Picardy Avenue Extension. Motorists will be able to get to the Picardy Overpass and Picardy Avenue using the eastbound frontage road.

Motorists are urged to drive carefully through the construction zone. Delays of 20 minutes should be anticipated, and speed limits will be reduced to 50 miles per hour for the duration of the project. DOTD’s Motorist Assistance Patrol will continue to operate in the area for the project’s duration.

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please contact DOTD’s Public Information Office.