The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development announces that beginning Saturday, June 24, I-12 eastbound will have a full closure at the I-10/ I-12 split from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. in Baton Rouge.

The 2023 Louisiana Legislative Session marked the last in Gov. John Bel Edwards’s administration and furthered speculation over the future of a proposed bridge between Plaquemine and St. Gabriel.

Traffic is always an issue in Baton Rouge and DOTD says the Widening Project will help fix that problem, but before it can get better it will likely mean sitting in more standstill traffic when lanes are reduced. 

Even as officials look to pick a location for a new Mississippi River bridge among three options in Iberville Parish, U.S. Rep. Garret Graves says the state should be searching for additional solutions closer to Interstate 10 and U.S. 190. 

Officials are working on creating new corridors for drivers to get around the city during the I-10 widening project.

The I-10 widening project will have the interstate expanding to four lanes each way from the Mississippi River Bridge to the 10-12 split.

Each side of I-10 will be reduced to just two lanes through a portion of Baton Rouge for about a year as part of a long-running, multi-million-dollar expansion project, according to state transportation officials. 

The slow, bumper-to-bumper, stop-and-go traffic on I-10 is anything but pleasant. Relief from that could be coming but will likely mean things will get a lot worse before they get better. Next year, the state will start a widening project in both directions from Acadian Thruway to the I-10/I-110 split near Government Street.

There’s a bit of good news city-parish officials are hoping will help drivers cope with the bad news about the $1.2 billion Interstate 10 widening project. 

Four years ago, the East Baton Rouge Chamber of Commerce (not to be confused with the Baton Rouge Area Chamber) suggested the $8.8 million Terrace Street exit to solve southbound Interstate 110 crossover traffic conflicts on the Interstate 10 Washington exit in Baton Rouge. 

In this past year since DOTD made its surprise interstate widening announcement for the Baton Rouge area, The Advocate has published at least three letters on our suggestions for interstate congestion relief in the parish. 

The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development has a four-phase plan to reduce traffic congestion on Interstate 10, with Phase 1 alone costing $360 million and a minimum of four years.