La. Department of Transportation and Development says road

New Orleans CityBusiness, Jan 30, 2008

The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development said drivers should be aware of major road work that could affect Carnival travel from Friday through Tuesday.

In the New Orleans area, all lanes of Interstates 10, 310, 510 and 610 will remain open during the Mardi Gras holiday.

In the Slidell area, all lanes of Interstates 12 and 59 will remain open.

Also in the Slidell area, construction continues on I-10 at its intersection with U.S. Highway 90. Drivers may experience delays because of an eastbound lane closure and a westbound lane closure at the Fremeaux interchange. Two lanes will remain open to traffic in each direction.

In the Hammond area and surrounding parishes, all lanes of I-10, I-12 and Interstate 55 will remain open. The exit ramp on I-12 westbound to U.S. Highway 51 will be closed.

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

Also in the Baton Rouge area, construction continues on Louisiana Highway 427, also known as Perkins Road, between Essen Lane and Siegen Lane. Starting Sunday, drivers can expect delays during the day while DOTD begins re-striping the intersection and closing lanes.

Beginning Monday, the westbound lanes of Perkins Road will be closed. Traffic will be rerouted to the south side of Perkins, allowing traffic on one westbound lane, one left-turn lane and one eastbound lane. Additionally, one of the two southbound left-turn lanes on Bluebonnet Boulevard will also be closed to traffic. Drivers should also expect delays because of a left-turn lane closure in both directions on Perkins at Oakdale Boulevard.

The DOTD also said all oversize and overweight vehicle movement on all state highways will not be allowed Tuesday in the parishes of Orleans, Jefferson and St. Bernard and within the city limits and surrounding areas of: Lafayette, with the exception of I-10, Houma qne Lake Charles, with the exception of I-10 and Interstate 210.

DOTD also said 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 temporary panels used to repair the westbound 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 have stepped up traffic enforcement, DOTD said. 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.

Travelers can access up-to-date information about weather- related road conditions and construction activities by calling 511. Travelers can also access the information by visiting the 511 Traveler Information System Web site at www.511la.org.

More detailed information on DOTD construction projects and road closures can be found via the Traveler Information link from DOTD's Web site, www.dotd.la.gov.

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

DOTD's Customer Service Center representatives can answer questions regarding road closures any other DOTD-related questions at (225) 379-1232 or 1-877-452-3683. The center's normal business hours are 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. The center will be closed Tuesday for Mardi Gras.