Interstate 10 in the Baton Rouge metro area reopened to both eastbound and westbound traffic Thursday afternoon, the Department of Transportation and Development announced.
Louisiana DOTD officials have closed a large part of interstate 10 due to the icy conditions on the road. DOTD says that I-10 is closed in both directions from the Louisiana-Texas state line to Baton Rouge.
Much of Interstate 10 and many other major South Louisiana thoroughfares remained closed Wednesday after a major snowstorm, and it was not clear when they would reopen, state officials said.
Florida late on Wednesday closed a more than 200-mile stretch of Interstate 10 from the Alabama state line to Exit 192, the U.S. 90 junction, in Gadsden County “due to remaining snow, ice, and water on the roadway combined with incoming hard freeze temperatures overnight resulting in icy and dangerous conditions on bridges and roadways.
The latest closure means that nearly three-quarters of Louisiana’s portion of the coast-to-coast highway is shut. A rare winter storm brought record snowfall to the state on Tuesday.
The Interstate 10 closure spans nearly the entire state, ending west of the Mississippi state line east of New Orleans.
A significant portion of I-10 is closed in both directions in Louisiana west of Baton Rouge to the Texas border.
Baton Rouge is under an extreme cold warning until 10 a.m. Wednesday, the National Weather Service said. The high today is expected to be 31 degrees, with a low of 16 degrees.
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry said the state is facing potential record snowfall that could close Mississippi River bridges from Baton Rouge to New Orleans.
A winter storm swept across south Louisiana on Tuesday morning, covering New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Lafayette in a layer of snow. Highways, roads and schools across the state have been closed — effectively stalling Louisiana's economy.
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry and state officials held a news briefing on Wednesday to update residents on the unprecedented weather event and its ongoing challenges.
Department of Transportation and Development crews from Louisiana and Arkansas are still working to get everything back to normal as roads and bridges begin to thaw.