Baton Rouge, LA - As directed by Governor Jindal, Louisiana State Police will initiate contraflow at 4:00 AM Sunday morning.  For the first time in history, the entire Louisiana coastal population will be evacuated due to the impending threat of Hurricane Gustav. 

The southeast contraflow plan will be implemented in its entirety as shown in publicized maps (visit http://www.lsp.org/).

For southwest Louisiana, the Lafayette area should follow the contraflow plans on I-49 North, as publicized.  For the Lake Charles area, contraflow will NOT be utilized and residents are encouraged to evacuate north on US Hwy 171.  US Hwy 171 at US Hwy 190 in Deridder will utilize a lane-shift in order to accommodate three (3) lanes northbound, with only one (1) lane available for southbound traffic.  US Hwy 165 is an alternate route for the Southwest Louisiana area.

While traffic on I-10 in and around Lake Charles will be free to travel either westbound toward Texas or eastbound toward Baton Rouge, Louisiana State Police strongly encourage motorists to travel north, away from the hurricane impact area.  

The contraflow plans are being implemented earlier than previously anticipated in order to move residents out of harm’s way as efficiently and expediously as possible. Residents should not wait until tomorrow morning to leave if it is possible to leave earlier. Travelers are again reminded to have a full tank of fuel, any necessary medications, non-perishable food items and all critical documents.  Motorists are urged to call *LSP (*577) only in the event of emergencies and not for informational purposes.  For information, the public may call 1-800-469-4828 or 5-1-1 for traffic information. 

The implementation of contraflow is a joint effort by Louisiana State Police, the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, local sheriff’s offices and local police departments. Personnel within Louisiana state agencies are communicating with state agencies in Mississippi, Texas and Arkansas regarding the impact of Louisiana’s contraflow in their areas.