(The Center Square) – After a historic winter storm hit the Interstate 10 corridor on Tuesday, parts of the vital east-west artery remain closed due to icy road conditions in both Louisiana and Florida.
In Louisiana, the Department of Transportation and Development has closed Interstate 10 from the small community of Iowa in Calcasieu Parish just east of Lake Charles to Baton Rouge, a 128-mile stretch that includes the Atchafalaya Basin Bridge.
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.
In the same social media post, the Transportation Department urged caution, writing, “With conditions changing rapidly and bringing unexpected circumstances, stay put and off the roads for your safety. Remember to heed all local and state guidance.”
Interstate 10 is open in both neighboring Mississippi and Alabama.
Louisiana’s Transportation Department has also closed Interstate 55 from Ponchatoula to New Orleans across the Bonnet Carré Spillway, Interstates 12 and 110 in Baton Rouge, and Interstate 10 from Slidell across the twin-span bridge into New Orleans.
In Orleans Parish, U.S. 90 is closed on the Crescent City Connection bridge, between Westwood Drive and State Route 428 and between Interstate 10 and Tchoupitoulas Street. Also closed is the State Route 407 (Woodland Highway) bridge between General De Gaulle and State Route 406, State Route 39 (Claiborne Bridge) between Poland Avenue and Tennessee Street and the Chef Menteur Highway in both directions between U.S. 11 and State Route 433.
The U.S. 90 (Huey P. Long Bridge) between Jefferson Highway and Seven Oaks Boulevard has one lane open in both directions.
A winter storm hit the area on Tuesday, dumping record amounts of snow from Texas into Florida along Interstate 10. According to totals from the National Weather Service in Baton Rouge, the storm dumped 10 inches in New Orleans and 8 inches on the capital city. The National Weather Service in Lake Charles estimated Lafayette and Lake Charles received between 8 to 12 inches of snow.
The National Weather Service in Mobile reported 7.5 inches in the Port City, a record 9.8 inches of snow in Milton, Fla., and 8.9 inches in Pensacola, Fla.
