I-10 overpass closes on the MS Coast to make way for Buc-ee’s. What drivers should know.
The I-10 overpass at Menge Avenue in Harrison County closed Monday around noon, cutting the link north and south of the interstate.
The two-lane bridge at exit 24 will be demolished, said Anna Ehrgott, MDOT public information officer, and a new five-lane bridge built.
It will take an estimated 13 months to rebuild, she said.
A press release will be sent out with dates and times to alert the public when demolition plans are finalized, she said.
The entrance and exit ramps at I-10 will remain open, but those who want to travel north-south will have to find an alternate route.
Loboury Road is just to the west and crosses I-10. To reach Louboury, drivers can take Cunningham Road on the north side of I-10 and Cuevas Delisle Road on the south side.
The next closest exits on I-10 are four miles away east and west — exit 20 at DeLisle/Pass Christian and exit 28 at Long Beach.
Two projects impacting traffic
Drivers headed westbound have two obstacles to clear on I-10.
The first is near exit 24, when lane closures are necessary as the Menge Avenue intersection is rebuilt. The work is needed to handle the traffic expected when Mississippi’s first Buc-ee’s travel center opens late next year.
The second is at the Mississippi and Louisiana line, where the bridge over the Pearl River is begin repaired following several crashes.
That work is scheduled to be complete by mid-August.
Get the latest traffic alerts
Drivers can sign up for email and text alerts. They are sent throughout the day — starting at 7:30 a.m. Monday — to caution drivers about major delays and slow-moving traffic. The congestion alert Monday morning was from mile marker 4 to the Louisiana line.
Drivers also can check MDOT’s traffic map before they leave home. That way they’ll know not to try taking U.S. 90 into Louisiana. The drawbridge over the Pearl River is closed and drivers will have to come back to I-10 to cross the river.
“MDOT traffic app is a great resource for road conditions throughout the state,” Ehrgott said. It can be downloaded to a smartphone and will provide alerts while traveling.
When D’Iberville bridge came down
Details on when the Menge Avenue overpass will be demolished will be well publicized before the interstate is closed and traffic is detoured.
The Old Highway 67 overpass on I-10 in D’Iberville was demolished in February 2014 as part of a multi-year, $30 million construction project to ease the snarl of traffic near The Promenade and other shopping centers in the city.
In that case, I-10 was closed one night and traffic was detoured for about 10 miles in each direction. The contractor had a window from 7 p.m. on Friday night to 9 a.m. Saturday to get the bridge down and the road back open. The work was done ahead of schedule and the interstate reopened.
This story was originally published July 10, 2023 at 12:29 PM.
