Members,

The DOTD announced today, that beginning July 11, crews will conduct an inspection on the I-10 Mississippi River (Horace Wilkinson) Bridge in the Capitol Region. Inspections will occur daily from 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. from Monday, July 11, to Saturday, July 30, weather permitting. During this time, there will be brief rolling closures twice a day to allow for equipment and crew drop off and pickup. The morning and afternoon lane closure for drop-offs should last less than 15 minutes.

Typically, crews inspect using under bridge inspection trucks and man-lifts, which require multiple lane closures. In order to cause minimal impact on traffic, crews will be utilizing a rope-access method to access most parts of the bridge. This method has been used previously and proved to be have significantly less impact on traffic, as well as provide a more thorough inspection of the bridge. There will be lane closures on a weekend morning in August (13th and 14th weather permitting) to inspect areas that are inaccessibly by rope acces.

During this routine inspection, crews will be examining the bridge to make sure it remains structurally sound to carry vehicular traffic. These inspections occur every two years and are critical, as this bridge carries over 100,000 vehicles daily.

DOTD appreciates your patience and reminds you to please drive with caution through the work zone and be on the lookout for work crews and their equipment.

Motorists can access the latest updates on real-time traffic and road conditions using the 511 Traveler Information System by dialing 511 from their telephone and saying the route or region for which they are seeking information. Out-of-state travelers can call 1-888-ROAD-511 (1-888-762-3511). Travelers can also access this information by visiting the 511 Traveler Information website at www.511la.org.