BATON ROUGE — Groom Road between Clermont Street and Plank Road will be closed for two weeks starting May 6 as crews replace six cross-drain pipes as part of ongoing improvements to the area. 

The closure will result in traffic being detoured from the intersection of Groom Road and Clermont Street south onto Paola Street. From here, drivers can turn left and head south to Molino Drive, turn left and head southeast to East Myrtle Avenue, then turn left and head east along East Myrtle Avenue to Plank Road.

Local traffic to residences just past Clermont Street will be allowed, as well as access to the Hillcrest Memorial Gardens Cemetery, Baker Funeral Home and Sonic Drive-in Restaurant on the north side of Groom.

All other area businesses, like Walmart, CenterWell Senior Primary Care Center, Wendy's Restaurant, Dollar Tree, Circle-K, Walgreens and the Advantage Charter Academy can be accessed directly from and to Plank Road.

Officials say that, as part of the MoveBR initiative, these drainage improvements will improve flood mitigation.