Traffic Alert: Construction Begins On I-10 Bridge Project In Lake Charles

[KNGT-FM] - Well, we all knew it was coming, and now it looks like it's about to get started. Yesterday, while driving around Southwest Louisiana, we noticed the signs being put out and construction crews staging by the bridge area, getting ready to get to work on the I-10 bridge project.

For years now, people in Lake Charles and the Southwest Louisiana area have been saying that a new bridge needs to be built to replace the current bridge. If you live in the area, you have become accustomed to going over the bridge, but you always know it is a scary ride.

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We have all been stuck on the I-10 Bridge at one time or another due to a traffic jam or even a wreck on the bridge. If you have gotten stuck, then you had the time to look around on the bridge and saw just how bad the condition of the bridge is. In certain spots, the guardrails are bent or gone due to accidents on the bridge. In its place is a metal rail covering the hole. That is scary in itself.

Read More: Do You Know The Actual Name Of The I-10 Bridge?

This is why a new bridge needs to be built. Well, on top of the fact that the I-10 bridge was opened in 1952, which makes the bridge 73 years old. Yeah, it has run its course and needs to be replaced. Well, it looks like the first phase of the construction is about to get underway.

So, where is the construction starting? Yesterday, we got off the I-10 bridge going Westbound and exited at Westlake, Louisiana. That is when we saw the signs and construction crews. If you noticed, the signs say pipeline construction ahead.

Our source told us that it's part of the I-10 project; they will be burying the pipes that go over Sampson Street to make way for the construction of the new bridge. The pipes need to be buried to make way for the new bridge, which will go right through where the pipes are currently housed in the air.

Read More: See Pictures of what the new I-10 Bridge will look like

So what to expect? According to the DOTD,

The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) is actively working on road projects in Westlake, LA. Currently, they are performing maintenance on the I-10 Exit 27 in Westlake, Louisiana for the major project underway to replace the I-10 Calcasieu River Bridge, which includes improvements to the I-10 corridor and surrounding roadways

If you use the Westlake exit in your commute, you may want to consider an alternate route, as delays and traffic backups can occur. It is unknown yet if they plan to close that exit altogether. When we find out, we will pass it along.