If your Memorial Day weekend plans involve cruising I-610, you might want a backup route. State transportation officials are shutting down the elevated stretch of Interstate 610 in New Orleans for overnight paving and roadway repairs, closing all eastbound and westbound lanes and ramps from late Friday night through early Monday morning. The work zone runs between the I-10 splits near the 17th Street Canal and I-10 near Franklin Avenue, and it is expected to send plenty of drivers onto detours.
Crews will also start staging earlier in the week, with overnight alternating lane closures before the full shutdown. That means fewer open lanes, changing ramp access and longer travel times for anyone rolling through during closure hours.
When and where to expect the shutdown
According to the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, alternating lane closures on I-610 start nightly on Tuesday, May 26. From Tuesday through Thursday, May 28, the interstate will be reduced to a single lane overnight to allow concrete patching.
The same agency notes that both directions of I-610 will then be continuously closed from 11 p.m. Friday, May 29, until 5 a.m. Monday, June 1, for asphalt paving and related roadway rehabilitation, with I-10 flagged as the primary alternate route. Project documents describe the work as milling, overlay, concrete patching and striping, with an estimated construction cost of roughly $9.5 million (DOTD planning materials).
How to plan your drive
The St. Bernard Parish Sheriff's Office is echoing the warning on social media, telling drivers to plan for extra travel time and use caution in work zones as overnight operations ramp up. Both the sheriff's notice and the state advisory urge motorists to expect lane reductions, ramp changes and marked detours throughout the closure period.
Why this matters now
This extended shutdown comes on the heels of an April 21 incident when a skate-park fire under an I-610 overpass forced a multi-hour closure while engineers evaluated the structure. Coverage from FOX 8 showed just how quickly problems on this elevated corridor can tangle traffic across the city.
For now, drivers are urged to build in extra time, follow posted detours and lean on I-10 during the closure window. All work is weather permitting, so schedules can shift. Before heading out, check live traffic maps and updates via the state's 511 traveler information site at 511la.org and local traffic feeds.
