MDOT alerts drivers to another ‘major’ delay on rainy South Mississippi stretch of I-10

Wet roads and an 18-wheeler crash slowed traffic for hours Wednesday on Interstate 10 in Harrison County, forcing drivers in both directions to slog through another day of delays.

Backups began just before 7 a.m. when an 18-wheeler traveling west on Interstate 10 overturned and blocked part of a lane near the Menge Avenue exit. The Mississippi Highway Patrol said it blocked lanes “periodically” while emergency crews cleared the trailer, which was hauling household supplies, lithium batteries and pesticides.

No injuries were reported, and the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality managed the clean-up, Trooper Landon Orozco said. The crash cleared by 10:35 a.m.

But traffic continued. MDOT said delays could last through Wednesday afternoon in the westbound lanes near the Vidalia Road bridge. Westbound traffic was slow at noon from Vidalia Road past Menge Avenue but appeared clear after 2 p.m., an MDOT map showed.

Delays also plagued the eastbound lanes through Wednesday afternoon. Wet roads were slowing drivers traveling east on I-10 through Diamondhead, MDOT said. The agency estimated delays would last until 6 p.m.

The backups are the latest of dozens this year caused by construction, rain and potholes on I-10 in Harrison County.

This story was originally published November 13, 2024 at 7:17 AM.