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 for Easter weekend (Friday, April 10, through Sunday, April 12).

DOTD Secretary William D. Ankner, Ph.D., urged drivers to use extra caution when traveling on the roadways during the upcoming holiday weekend, especially at railroad crossings.

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

In the New Orleans area, all lanes of I-10, I-310, I-510 and I-610 will remain open during the holiday weekends.

The Causeway Interchange Phase I project will begin April 6. The I-10 eastbound on-ramp from North Causeway will close for approximately four to five months while crews reconstruct the ramp. The detour for traffic will be the South Service Road. Exit North Causeway onto South Service Road and enter I-10 east using the Bonnabel on-ramp.

In the Slidell area, all lanes of I-10, I-12 and I-59 will remain open.

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

In the Baton Rouge area, all lanes of I-10 and I-12 will remain open. Drivers should note that the speed limit has been reduced to 50 miles per hour within the construction zone on I-10 from the I-10/I-12 split to Siegen Lane.

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

In Acadia Parish, La. 13 north of Crowley from La. 100 to La. 1121 is closed to traffic due to construction on the Bayou Plaquemine Bridge. Traffic will be detoured via La. 1121, I-10 North Frontage Road and La. 13.

Also in Acadia Parish, La. 13 southbound is closed from Court Circle to 4th Street in downtown Crowley. Traffic will be detoured via La. 1111 and U.S. 90.

In St. Landry Parish, U.S. 190 over U.S. 71 is reduced from four lanes to two-lane, two-way traffic onto the eastbound roadway since the westbound Atchafalaya River Bridge has been removed.

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

In the Alexandria area, all lanes of I-49 will remain open to traffic.

In Avoyelles Parish, La. 114 at the Bayou Des Glaises Diversion Canal is closed to traffic. Drivers will be detoured via La. 114, La. 1186 and La. 1.

In Caldwell Parish, construction continues on sections of U.S. 165 through the towns of Grayson and Columbia. Drivers may experience some minor delays and short detours because of the construction activity in this area.

In Franklin and Tensas parishes, construction continues on the Tensas River Bridge on La. 4 at the Tensas/Franklin parish line. No delays are expected.

In Catahoula and Concordia parishes, construction continues on U.S. 84 in the Jonesville area. Drivers may experience minor delays because of construction activity in this area.

Also in Catahoula Parish, construction continues on La. 8 two miles east of Harrisonburg. The road is open to two lanes with a 30 mph speed limit. Please proceed through this area with caution.

In Lincoln Parish, one southbound lane of La. 33 (Farmerville Highway) will be closed from Trade Drive to I-20 North Service Road. Drivers should use caution when traveling through this area.

In Union Parish, La. 15 near Lillie will be closed from approximately 1.5 miles north of La. 549 to approximately 3.8 miles south of La. 550. The detour route is U.S. 167/63, La. 2, La. 550 and La. 15.

In Ouachita Parish, I-20 eastbound will be reduced to one lane from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. from the La. 594/Texas Avenue interchange (exit 117B) to the La. 34/Mill Street/Stella Street interchange (exit 115).

Also in Ouachita Parish, U.S. 80 from Camp Road to Cheniere Drew Road (La. 546) will be closed for bridge construction. The detour is Cheniere Drew Road and I-20.

In the Shreveport-Bossier City Area and surrounding parishes, all lanes of I-49 and I-20 will remain open.

Drivers should be advised that I-220 is reduced to one lane of traffic in each direction between La. 73 (exit 5) and U.S. 71 (exit 7). Eastbound traffic on I-220 is being detoured to the westbound roadway between La. 73 and U.S. 71.

The intersection of U.S. 80/U.S. 79 in Minden will remain closed due to construction activities. Drivers are advised to follow the signed detour route on Sheppard Street through the area.

In addition, the eastbound I-20 Welcome Center near the Texas state line is closed for reconstruction.

Secretary Ankner announced today that all oversize and overweight vehicle movement on all state highways will be prohibited during the Easter weekend (Friday, April 10, through Sunday, April 12).

Ankner said the decision was made in conjunction with the Louisiana Department of Public Safety’s Office of State Police in order to provide maximum safety for motorists traveling on state highways during this holiday.

In addition, both spans of the I-10 "twin-span" bridge between Slidell and New Orleans are closed to all oversize and overweight permit loads until further notice. Because the temporary panels used to repair the westbound "twin-span" bridge are taking a pounding from speeders, especially overweight and speeding trucks, state troopers and Weights and Standard officers assigned to the Louisiana State Police Transportation Environmental Safety Section (TESS) have stepped up traffic enforcement. The weight limit for 18-wheelers traveling westbound is 70,000 pounds. Loads weighing more than 70,000 pounds but less than 90,000 pounds can use the Causeway Bridge as an alternate route. All other loads can use I-55. The weight limit eastbound is 80,000 pounds.

DOTD’s Weights and Standards Office and Truck Permit Office will be closed on Friday, April 10.

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.

Traffic cameras for the Baton Rouge, Denham Springs, Walker, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Shreveport/Bossier City, LaPlace and New Orleans areas also may be viewed from that site.

In addition, 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 normal business hours are 7 a.m.- 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. The Customer Service Center will be closed Friday, April 10 for the Easter holiday. Finally, drivers are encouraged to tune in to local radio stations for current traffic and accident 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.