Reach out if your question is not listed…
Louisiana DOTD and the project team will respond to inquiries about this project which are not addressed on this page. Visit the Contact Us page of this site to submit your question.
01
What is the project purpose?
Interstate 10 through Baton Rouge is being reconstructed to provide an additional fourth through-lane in each direction. Interchanges will be modernized, resulting in longer acceleration and deceleration lanes at ramps, and designs which reduce or eliminate weaving are being implemented. Together, these improvements will alleviate congestion and improve travel times through the region.
02
What are the limits of construction for the project?
The overall capacity improvement project for I-10 through Baton Rouge extends from LA 415 in West Baton Rouge Parish eastward across the Mississippi River and through Baton Rouge to east of the I-10 / I-12 split near Essen Lane. Work excludes the Mississippi River Bridge itself. Phase 1 encompasses all work on the east side of the Mississippi River. Within Phase 1, the project corridor is further divided into Segments for construction, and Segment 1 extends from the I-110 interchange to the Perkins Road ramps. Segments 2 and 3 are further east along I-10, including the S. Acadian Thruway and College Drive interchange areas respectively. Due to sequencing of work and the necessity to maintain the flow of traffic during construction, the limits between the three Segments overlap.
03
What has been accomplished?
Several components of the overarching effort to widen the interstate corridor through Baton Rouge were expedited as separate projects. First was the Terrace Street Exit Ramp from I-110 southbound which was completed in 2019. The second project, completed in 2025, was the College Drive exit from I-10 westbound which reconfigured portions of the I-10 / I-12 interchange and eliminated a problematic area where I-12 joined I-10 westbound ahead of the College Drive exit. A third was the replacement of the railroad bridge over Acadian Thruway in 2023 by the Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Railroad. This new full span railroad bridge, along with utility relocations in the area, are in preparation for S. Acadian Thruway interchange improvements during Segment 2 of the I-10 project. Lastly, a separate DOTD project permanently closed the I-10 eastbound exit to E. Washington Street (now Lorri Burgess Avenue) in early 2026.
For the I-10 BR Widening project itself, early work has included a utility duct bank within the right of way and the first phase of widening of the westbound lanes of the I-10 bridge over City Park Lake. Work is now beginning at the I-110 interchange.
04
What is next and what are the impacts?
During the second quarter of 2026 construction began to widen the westbound flyover curve of I-10 as it crosses I-110 heading towards the Mississippi River Bridge. This work will occur in two steps, first widening the “low” or driver’s side of the curve, and next to widen the “high” or passenger’s side of the curve. Additional work will occur within this interchange area during this time. Widening of the westbound flyover curve is necessary to accommodate an additional third lane for vehicles to utilize while I-10 eastbound lanes are demolished and rebuilt. Impacts will include narrower travel lanes, moderated speed limits within the construction zone, occasional overnight temporary closures of I-10 or I-110 with necessary detours to avoid the work zone, and a temporary but multi-year closure of most of BREC’s Expressway Park located within the State right-of-way beneath the elevated interstate.
05
I’m a Perkins Road merchant or customer. What about parking beneath I-10 at Perkins?
Parking areas beneath elevated I-10 are made possible by “joint use agreements” with local entities including EBR City-Parish, businesses, churches, and schools. During interstate construction, the availability of this parking will be temporarily removed. DOTD and its contractor have developed mitigation strategies to address this temporary closure and measures including parking in alternate locations, wayfinding signage, pedestrian pathways, and public notifications and messaging of construction. Several community workshops were conducted in 2021 and 2022 for the Washington bridge area in South Baton Rouge and for the Perkins Overpass merchant’s district. At these events, specific design solutions were examined and critiqued, and alternative ideas were proposed yielding a preliminary concept plan for each area. DOTD has committed to implementing Context Sensitive Solutions and Community Connections in these areas.
06
Are there Right-of-Way Impacts?
Most construction work along the project corridor occurs within existing DOTD right-of-way. During the environmental study phase of this project (completed in 2019,) several properties were identified for acquisition by DOTD, and state officials have met with and negotiated purchase of these required properties. The interstate plans completed during the environmental stage and approved as part of the Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) document in 2022 were preliminary and not ready for construction. When the project transitioned from the environmental to implementation phase, additional surveying, engineering, community engagement, and other work was required to prepare final construction plan sets. For budgetary and scheduling reasons these are being completed in segments along the interstate corridor, not all at once. As final design is completed, the project team recommends refinements to the project layout. In some cases, these design refinements require additional parcels (or portions of parcels) as public right-of-way. DOTD and the project team continue to contact, meet with, and negotiate with property owners following established Right of Way acquisition procedures documented in the policy brochure linked below.
07
How will traffic noise be controlled?
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Louisiana DOTD have determined to install noise walls along portions of the interstate corridor as per the Environmental Assessment document. These walls will extend between fourteen and seventeen feet above the interstate roadway. In some areas these noise walls will be made of a clear acrylic material which will reflect traffic noise while preserving scenic views. For other areas of the corridor, different options were considered for noise walls including opaque acrylic panels or concrete walls.
08
Will the community have opportunities to provide input on enhancements, concerns, etc?
Yes. Comments are continuously received through this website’s “Contact Us” page. At specific steps in the process, public open house events have been offered, briefings to community and stakeholder groups delivered, and in-person meetings with key stakeholders such as local officials and corridor property owners have been conducted. As the project moves from design to construction, the need for these meetings is generally reduced, but DOTD remains committed to maintaining open and clear lines of communication with interested parties. Future public engagement events may be scheduled as warranted. Community feedback through online platforms, often replicating in-person exercises at public meetings, has been a key source of data which has informed design decisions and preferences. In the end, design decisions are made by State and Federal agency personnel and public input is considered in their decisions.
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09
What will be the hours of construction?
To expedite construction the contractor is anticipating deploying work shifts for progress around the clock as weather permits. However, the types of work conducted overnight will be, to the extent possible, tasks that are less noisy. Additionally, the drilled shaft technique will be used to install support pilings throughout the corridor to minimize noise. An exception where driven pilings are necessary is the span across City Park Lake. Pile driving and drilled shaft work will be limited to daylight hours.
Certain tasks during the construction process will require a temporary, overnight full closure of one direction of the interstate. These times will be publicly announced and detours recommended. These temporary closures will be scheduled for weekend nights between 10:00 pm and 5:00 am when traffic volumes are lowest.
10
Where will the contractor stage materials? What about work zones?
Contractor work zones which include equipment staging and material “lay down” yards will be positioned within the project right-of-way. In certain circumstances the contractor has been permitted to secure the use of nearby parcels for temporary storage of non-hazardous materials or equipment during the construction timeframe. Afterwards, these parcels will be returned to commerce.