An 18-wheeler jackknifed on Interstate 10 in Baton Rouge early Wednesday, shutting down some of the interstate for 10 hours and forcing police to reroute traffic into packed neighborhood streets.
Baton Rouge police spokesperson Lt. L’Jean McKneely said the crash occurred around 4 a.m. when a car pulled in front of an 18-wheeler on I-10 east at Dalrymple Drive and then quickly slowed down. This caused the tractor-trailer to jackknife, launch over the median and land across the westbound side of the interstate.
McKneely said one person was transported to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The wreck caused all lanes of I-10 west at Acadian Thruway and two lanes of I-10 east at Dalrymple Drive to close for hours.
The two eastbound lanes opened around 11 a.m., while I-10 west was opened for traffic about 10 hours after the accident, at around 2 p.m.
After the accident, a cleaning crew and specialized vehicles were called to turn the 18-wheeler upright and remove it before the interstate could be reopened, McKneely said. Getting the proper equipment to move the tractor-trailer was a “tedious process,” which is one reason why it took about 10 hours to get all lanes open, he said.
The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development advised drivers around 9 a.m. to travel on Airline Highway instead of I-10. The crash caused traffic to build up on I-10 west at the I-10/I-12 split as well as congestion on I-12 west back to Airline Highway. I-110 south also closed at Government Street due to a crash, backing up traffic to Mohican Street, but that section reopened around 11 a.m., DOTD said.
Traffic was directed to other streets such as Acadian Thruway and roads in the Garden District, bringing large trucks and vehicles to these roadways. McKneely said it was challenging to direct traffic to other surface streets.
“We were getting (drivers) off the interstate and redirected them around the crash area, putting them in certain locations where they can get back on to the interstate,” McKneely said. “It was definitely a challenge; it slowed a lot of surface streets here in Baton Rouge, especially the main arteries. But in the end, we were able to get the roadway clear and things back to normal.”
In March, DOTD said it plans to decide on a route for a new Mississippi River bridge by the end of 2026, running between La. 1 south of Plaquemine and La. 30 near St. Gabriel, which could potentially lessen traffic impacts during interstate closures.
However, estimating how future infrastructure projects might have affected traffic during Wednesday’s closure is pure speculation, according to Brooke Goodrich, a DOTD public information officer.
“This section of I-10 through Baton Rouge carries some of the region’s heaviest traffic volumes — well over 150,000 vehicles travel through here daily, including major freight traffic,” Goodrich said in an email. “Anytime I-10 is shut down here, it has significant impacts on surface streets and alternate routes. These types of impacts are not unique to Baton Rouge. Similar traffic situations and congestion have occurred following major interstate closures in other cities.”