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DOTD announces major shifts to I-12 westbound near split as College Drive Flyover nears completion
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BATON ROUGE — Commutes traveling west on Interstate 12 merging onto I-10 will look significantly different as the College Drive Flyover Project nears completion.
Starting at 5 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 22, traffic on I-12 westbound will shift to allow drivers to pass under the newly constructed I-10 westbound overpass.
Before the shift, drivers had been merging onto I-10 westbound from the right side of the interstate. The new configuration will see I-12 westbound lanes move to the left before the interstates merge, becoming the left lanes of I-10 westbound.
The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development said this new traffic pattern will be permanent.
"You're gonna shift to the left and when you drive it in the next couple of weeks, you can take a look and see where the I-10 overpass comes over, I-12 is going to slide up underneath there and then it will continue straight. So if you're on I-12, that's your move to go downtown, but if you want to get off at College, then you'll have to merge with the I-10 traffic that is getting off at College," DOTD Spokesman Rodney Mallett said.
DOTD added that crews will close the I-12 westbound on-ramp at Essen Lane for six to eight weeks. The right lane of I-12 westbound approaching Essen will now be designated an "Exit Only" lane for the I-12 eastbound exit ramp. The remaining two I-12 westbound lanes will continue to the I-10/I-12 merge.
"Most of the people getting on at Essen, are going westbound at I-12, they're either gonna head on downtown for that short little bit, or they're gonna get on the I-10 east flyover and so there's plenty of ways to get around that using Bluebonnet or Essen," Mallett explained.
WBRZ talked to several people who live near the I-12 entrance ramp. They said it's always a hassle.
"I used to take I-12, but it's a hassle with the people not letting you over to get into the lane to make the loop, so I decided I just go to 10. Go a little further down on Essen," Baton Rouge resident Julie Couvillion said.
The frequent closures along this stretch of interstate will ultimately culminate in the completion of the new I-10 and I-12 westbound College Drive exit ramps.
"So the exit will provide a dedicated exit for the 10 and the 12 going westbound to get off at College Drive. It'll cut out that weave, be safer, and help stop congestion," Mallett said.
While the College Flyover Project is expected to be done by the middle of this year, the I-10 widening project will continue. That project isn't expected to be completed until 2028 according to DOTD.
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