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 Easter holiday (Friday, March 29, through Sunday, March 31).
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 St. Tammany Parish, I-59 from the I-10/I-12/I-59 interchange in Slidell north to the Mississippi State line will continue to have intermittent lane closures; however, one lane will remain open at all times in each direction.
Also in St. Tammany Parish, traffic will be detoured around the intersection of La. 434 and U.S. 190 to the Old U.S. 190 junction with La. 434, due to roundabout construction.
In the Hammond area, all lanes of I-12 and I-55 will remain open to traffic.
In East Baton Rouge Parish, 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 remains closed between Cecilia and Arnaudville.
In the Lake Charles area, all lanes of I-10 and I-210 will remain open to traffic.
Central Louisiana
In Vernon Parish, U.S. 171 from La. 10 to Boone Street (old La. 1212) will have lane closures in each direction.
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.
In Natchitoches Parish, shoulder work on I-49 will require inside lane closures in both directions. Currently, lane closures are scheduled between La. 6 and Powhattan exit. These closures are subject to change as this is a moving operation.
In Rapides Parish, the inside lanes of U.S. 71 remain closed between Lee Street and Sterkx Road at Holsum Bakery.
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.
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
DOTD announced that all oversize and overweight vehicle movement on all state highways will be prohibited from Friday, March 29 to Sunday, March 31.
LeBas said the decision was made in conjunction Louisiana State Police, to provide maximum safety for motorists traveling on state highways during this holiday.
DOTD’s Truck Permit Office will also be closed on Friday, March 29.
LA Swift Bus Service
LA Swift, the bus service that provides coach bus rides between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, will run its weekend schedule on Friday, March 29. 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 Friday, March 29.
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.