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Interstate 10 near MS-LA state line cleared for travel after multiple crashes on bridge

Traffic was delayed for about an hour Friday morning after mulitple wrecks on the Pearl River Bridge near the Mississippi-Louisiana state line.

The Mississippi Department of Transportation said around 8 a.m. Friday that Interstate 10 eastbound will be backed up for about two hours after the crashes, but traffic resumed normally by 8:55 a.m.

Mississippi Coast commuters who drive from Hancock County to Slidell, New Orleans or Covington would have been the most affected during rush hour travel Friday morning.

Hancock County authorities had not been made aware of injuries sustained in the wrecks by 8:15 a.m.

Taking I-10 is one of the only ways to get into Louisiana from the Coast right now, as the “back way” through Pearlington on Highway 90 is closed for a bridge repair.

An alternate route would be to take Interstate 59 through Picayune or Pearl River County, but that would add big commute times for many South Mississippi drivers, especially for those who live near or below I-10.

The Pearl River Bridge is a site of many wrecks, including when a semi-truck hauling BMWs caught fire there last year.

You can check for traffic updates in real time on MDOT’s traffic map.

Traffic backs up on Interstate 10 near the Louisiana-Mississippi state line on Feb. 20, 2022.
Traffic backs up on Interstate 10 near the Louisiana-Mississippi state line on Feb. 20, 2022. Hannah Ruhoff

This story was originally published May 19, 2023 at 8:21 AM.

Justin Mitchell
Sun Herald
Justin Mitchell is the Sun Herald senior news editor and works on McClatchy’s audience engagement and development team. He also reports on LGBTQ issues in the Deep South, particularly focusing on Mississippi.
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