Drivers in Calcasieu Parish should prepare for a full closure of the I-10 overpass on LA 397, stretching from the I-10 Westbound entrance ramp to the I-10 Eastbound exit ramp, set to start at 12 a.m. on Saturday, through 5 a.m. next Monday. The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development announced the closure is for roadway patching and guardrail replacement.
The scheduled work means disruptions for local traffic as detours will shuffle vehicles around the construction zone and although closures like this one are not uncommon infrastructure necessities, the timing over a weekend could pile on inconvenience for weekend errands, leisure plans and in squeezing a few extra minutes out of your commute time, planning ahead is a sound strategy here. Southbound motorists on LA 397 will be rerouted via LA 397 to I-10 WB, to US 90 (Fruge Street) WB, then back to LA 397, offering a loop to bypass the closed segment.
Those driving northbound face a similar change in course, with the prescribed detour channeling traffic from LA 397 to LA 3020 WB (Opelousas Street), then to US 171 NB, to LA 3059 EB, and finally returning to LA 397. To assist drivers, signage will be placed strategically to guide detoured traffic, aiming at keeping things moving despite the temporary blockage of a key overpass.
As always, patience and caution are the words of the day for those navigating these kinds of detours, and given that construction projects have a way of stretching past initial timelines, it is probably best to keep an eye on updates in case the work extends beyond the current schedule.
