Will I-10 traffic slow MS Coast drivers this Christmas & New Year’s? Here’s what to expect
Traffic should roll smoothly over the holidays in an often-congested part of Interstate 10 but may still slog suddenly if crews need to do emergency repairs, the Mississippi Department of Transportation said.
MDOT is planning no lane closures from Christmas Eve to New Year’s Day between Diamondhead and County Farm Road, said Anna Ehrgott, a public information officer for the agency. She said MDOT wants the road clear for holiday traffic and believes drivers will face only minor delays from nearby construction.
There could be unexpected backups if MDOT is forced to do emergency repairs on large potholes that have recently started forming in the road. The holes are cracking open because MDOT has shifted traffic to the shoulder, over a drainage pipe that cannot hold the weight of semi-trucks. Dozens of large holes have formed this year on the interstate between Diamondhead and County Farm Road. Ehrgott said MDOT is still working on a permanent fix to the problem.
I-10 widening
Two construction projects between Diamondhead and Harrison County have slowed drivers for months. MDOT is widening I-10 from four to six lanes between Diamondhead and County Farm Road, and also reconstructing the Diamondhead exit.
MDOT said construction’s impact on drivers over the holidays will be small.
Ehrgott said crews are still adding a lane in the westbound median of I-10. Westbound traffic recently shifted toward the new lane near Diamondhead so MDOT can also build a noise barrier wall along the interstate. The agency is also making inside lanes wider on three nearby bridges.
Night lane closures will continue in 2025, and eastbound traffic will soon shift to the outer lanes so crews can add a lane on that side. MDOT has said the project will end in 2027.
Diamondhead exit
Work is done at two of Diamondhead’s four ramps at Exit 16, which is growing under MDOT’s construction.
Ehrgott said work on the west exit ramp is almost done but the ramp will stay closed into January. When it reopens, MDOT will close the east entrance ramp so crews can make it wider.
MDOT has said each closure lasts four to six weeks. The project will end in 2026.
Emergency repairs
Emergency repairs on large potholes could still slow some drivers over the holidays. Ehrgott said this month that potholes are still forming between County Farm Road and Diamondhead.
The problem has been common since fall. Commercial trucks that drive in the left lane are rupturing a pipe beneath the road, which creates sudden potholes that MDOT says can be 10 inches deep and more than 10 feet long.
Ehrgott said in November that a permanent fix could mean replacing the drain with a limestone layer that would hold heavy trucks but still drain water. That would take “a few months” to finish, she said. In December, Ehrgott said MDOT was still searching for a final solution.