BATON ROUGE, La. – The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) today advised drivers of upcoming work schedules for interstate and major road projects throughout Louisiana during the Thanksgiving holiday (Thursday, November 22, through Sunday, November 25).

DOTD Secretary Sherri H. LeBas urged drivers to use extra caution when traveling on the roadways during the upcoming holiday, especially at railroad crossings and within construction zones where the speed limit is reduced.

Below is the regional listing of work schedules and road closures for interstate construction and major road projects.

Southeast Louisiana 
In the New Orleans area, all lanes of I-10, I-310, I-510 and I-610 will remain open to traffic.

In the Hammond area, all lanes of I-12 and I-55 will remain open to traffic.

In East Baton Rouge and Livingston parishes, all lanes of I-10, I-12 and I-110 will remain open.

Southwest Louisiana 
In the Lafayette area, all lanes of I-10 and I-49 will remain open to traffic.

In St. Martin Parish La. 686 is closed for a bridge replacement between Cecelia and Arnaudville. Drivers can detour using La. 347.

In the Lake Charles area, all lanes of I-10 and I-210 will remain open to traffic.

Central Louisiana
In Winn Parish, U.S. 167 will detour just north of Winnfield for construction of the Dugdemona Bridge.  Both northbound and southbound traffic will shift onto the two existing northbound lanes, requiring traffic to be reduced to one lane in each direction. Please pay attention to the posted speed reduction.

Northeast Louisiana 
In the Monroe area, all lanes of I-20 will remain open to traffic and there will be no lane closures on major routes in the area.

In Franklin Parish, construction will continue on La. 4, between the Caldwell Parish line to Fort Necessity. Drivers may experience minor delays because of activity in this area.

In Caldwell Parish, the La. 133 Bayou Lafourche Bridge remains closed. The recommended detour is La. 4 to U.S. 165 to LA 847 to La. 133.

Northwest Louisiana 
In the Shreveport-Bossier City area, all lanes of I-20, I-220 and I-49 will remain open to traffic.

Oversize/overweight vehicle movement
Secretary LeBas, announced today that all oversize and overweight vehicle movement on all state highways will be prohibited on Thursday, November 22, through Sunday, November 25, in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday. 

LeBas said the decision was made in conjunction with the Louisiana Department of Public Safety, Office of State Police, to provide maximum safety for motorists traveling on state highways during this holiday. The Truck Permit Office will be closed Thursday, November 22, and Friday, November 23. Any permits needed to travel on Monday, November 26, will need to be purchased by close of business on Wednesday, November 21. 

LA Swift Bus Service
LA Swift, the bus service that provides coach bus rides between Baton Rouge and New Orleans will be out of service on Thursday, November 22, and will run its Saturday schedule on Friday, November 23.

Schedules and further details are available at www.laswift.com and through LA Swift’s Customer Service Center at (877)-94-SWIFT (1-877-947-9438).

The bus service makes stops in Baton Rouge, Gonzales, Sorrento, LaPlace, Kenner and New Orleans.

Further information 
Travelers can access up-to-date information about weather-related road conditions, construction activities and other critical incidents by dialing 511 from their telephone.

The voice-activated 511 Traveler Information System is available to most wireless and landline telephone users. Out-of-state travelers can access the system by calling 1-888-ROAD-511 (1-888-762-3511).

Travelers can also access this information by visiting the 511 Traveler Information System Web site at www.511la.org.

Traffic cameras for the Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Hammond/Northshore, Houma, Lake Charles, Monroe/West Monroe, New Orleans, Shreveport/Bossier and surrounding areas also may be viewed from the 511 site.

DOTD’s Customer Service Center representatives can answer questions about road closures not listed above or any other DOTD-related questions. Please call (225) 379-1232 or 1-877-4LADOTD (1-877-452-3683) with questions. The center’s business hours are 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. The Customer Service Center will be closed Thursday, November 22, and Friday, November 23. 

Finally, drivers are encouraged to tune in to local radio stations for current traffic and incident information prior to traveling.

Drivers who notice road hazards, such as potholes or debris in the road, are urged to call DOTD’s statewide, toll-free Highway Safety Hot Line at 1-800-259-HWAY (4929). The automated system operates 24-hours-a-day and routes callers to the appropriate field office to report hazardous conditions.

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www.dotd.la.gov