New exit ramps that will allow drivers to more easily exit Interstate 10 and Interstate 12 westbound onto College Drive are set to open Wednesday, the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development said.
DOTD also announced Monday that one lane will be closed on the new, merged interstate. And the Essen Lane on ramp to I-12 is scheduled to reopen Thursday morning if work is completed as planned.
The announcements mean the College Flyover project, designed to fix a notorious Baton Rouge traffic trouble spot, is nearly complete. Before the flyover, drivers on I-10 had to rapidly merge across several lanes of traffic to exit at College Drive.
Starting at 5 a.m. Wednesday, drivers on I-12 westbound who want to get off at College should exit just before the merger with I-10. Drivers on I-10 should take the new flyover bridge right before the merge. Both exits will be in the right-hand lanes.
The previous exits to College Drive will be closed.
The road closures aren't quite finished yet. The left lane of the new, merged I-10 and I-12 will be closed for about 1,000 feet so crews can place permanent barriers where the old exit was located.Â
The new exits are the last major phase of the flyover project, DOTD said. A few minor tasks like permanent lane striping and sign installation remain and will require future lane closures. The lane closures are scheduled to continue through the end of the project on May 12.