Baton Rouge traffic warning: I-10/I-12 lane closures planned for College Drive exit work

Starting Monday, lanes will be closed along I-10/I-12 for work on the new College Drive exit, the state Department of Transportation and Development said Thursday.

The closures are scheduled for March 20-24, to allow crews to grind and restripe the roadway, the DOTD said.

In addition to the temporary lane closures, the I-12 westbound on-ramp from Essen Lane will be closed on Monday and Tuesday, from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. Drivers are advised to detour to I-10 westbound at Essen Lane.

The lane closures are scheduled for:

• Monday, March 20, 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.: I-12 westbound right lane from Essen Lane to the I-10/I-12 merge.

• Tuesday, March 21, 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.: I-12 westbound right lane from Essen Lane to College Drive.

• Wednesday, March 22, 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.: I-12 westbound left and middle lanes from Essen Lane to College Drive.

• Thursday, March 23, 9 p. m. to 5 a.m.: I-12 westbound left lane and I-10 westbound right lane from Essen Lane to College Drive.

• Friday, March 24, 10 p. m. to 5 a.m.: I-10 westbound right and middle lanes from Essen Lane to College Drive.

The $52.3 million project will realign the existing I-12 westbound traffic to more closely follow the I-12 eastbound alignment, the Department of Transportation and Development said.

“It will span both I-12 eastbound and westbound with a new I-10 westbound bridge, allowing for westbound traffic to exit to College Drive without crossing through mainline interstate traffic,” the department said in a statement Thursday.

Plans for a new College Drive exit and I-10/I-12 split: State transportation officials broke ground Tuesday on a new exit for College Drive from Interstate 10 in Baton Rouge. The new design aims to remove the current exit to College, which requires drivers on I-10 to merge abruptly across several lanes of traffic.

BY DAN SWENSON | Graphics Editor

The College Drive exit project is part of a multi-phased project that will widen I-10 from La. 415 in West Baton Rouge Parish to the I-10/12 split in East Baton Rouge Parish.

The project is anticipated to be completed early 2024, weather permitting.

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