All traffic headed eastbound on Interstate 12 will be detoured overnight on Friday to remove an overpass near the split with Interstate 10, according to the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development.
The closure and detour will begin at 10 p.m. Friday and end at 5 a.m. Saturday, DOTD said in a statement Tuesday.
Traffic headed eastbound on I-12 at the split will be directed toward the I-10 eastbound Essen Lane exit and then north on Essen toward the I-12 entrance ramp to get back on the interstate.
If the closure is canceled because of weather or other circumstances, DOTD said, the backup closure will be overnight from 10 p.m. Saturday to 5 a.m. Sunday.
Last month, I-10 westbound traffic before the interchange merge was shifted from the old overpass to a new, adjacent overpass.
According to DOTD, the closure Friday night is necessary to allow crews to take down the old overpass. After the overpass is removed, crews will widen the new overpass to accommodate a separate I-10 westbound lane for a new College Drive exit ramp.
When the project is complete, the overpass will fly over I-12 eastbound and a realigned I-12 westbound.
Under the new configuration, I-12 westbound traffic will form the inside lanes of I-10 where the interstates merge. One lane of I-12 westbound will peel off before the merge to exit at College Drive.
The upcoming overnight closure is part of the College Drive Flyover project, designed to realign I-10 and I-12 to allow easier, safer access for vehicles to reach the College Drive exit.
At a cost of $52.3 million, DOTD officials expect the project to be complete by January 2025, permitting weather-related delays.