‘Major delays’ stall traffic for fourth straight day on I-10 near Menge Avenue in South MS

Drivers are slogging through traffic this week on Interstate 10 near Menge Avenue, slowed by alternating lane closures and construction on the Mississippi Coast thoroughfare.

The Mississippi Department of Transportation warned drivers traveling west to “expect major delays” on Thursday. It was the fourth day of traffic near the exit: Westbound delays lasted hours on Wednesday, and eastbound traffic plagued the interstate Monday and Tuesday.

Thursday’s backup is expected to last at least 2 hours, according to MDOT.

Construction crews have worked for months to repair the Menge Avenue highway overpass in preparation for a new Buc-ee’s Travel Center expected to open soon at the exit. Those crews closed lanes this week to remove temporary support structures from the bridge, MDOT public information officer Anna Ehrgott said. The closures snarled traffic between Kiln DeLisle Road and County Farm Road and caused headaches for drivers passing through Diamondhead, Pass Christian and Long Beach.

Ehrgott said it was not immediately clear how long the closures would last but doubted they would extend “more than a few days.”

“The public can expect more lane closures this week,” she said Tuesday, “but they should wrap up soon.”

The delays were the latest of dozens since crews began work last year to widen the two-lane bridge over I-10 to make room for an influx of traffic expected at the new Buc-ee’s. Work on the bridge is almost complete and Buc-ee’s says it plans to open in the beginning of 2025.

This story was originally published August 5, 2024 at 11:27 AM.