People driving from Baton Rouge to New Orleans on Interstate 10 should continue to plan for long delays.
Update: Both lanes of the bridge have reopened to car traffic.
The eastbound bridge over the LaBranche Wetlands will be down to one lane until further notice, state officials said Wednesday, for emergency repairs after a tanker truck fire earlier this week. The bridge to New Orleans is also closed to trucks for now.
On Tuesday, traffic was backed up for 10 miles in the area.
The left lane is closed at milepost 218 near the I-310 interchange. On Tuesday, traffic was backed up 10 miles.
There is no timeline for when the lane will reopen, according to the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development. "The goal is to open the road, of course," spokesperson Rodney Mallet said. "But safety is the No. 1 concern, so all plans to move forward will be done in a safe manner."
In addition, the exit ramp from eastbound I-10 to I-310 was closed Wednesday as of 11:30 a.m. for inspections, leading to miles of delays in the area.
Video of the fire
A tanker truck caught on fire around 2:30 p.m. Monday and closed the eastbound lanes of the interstate for about 12 hours.
The fire was caught on video, which showed a fireball on the bridge and a large column of dark smoke. The truck driver escaped with no injuries, according to our news partners at WWL-TV.
See the video below. Can't see the tweet and video? Click here.
'Burned for a long time'
The fire was "extremely hot and burned for a long time," Mallett said.
Officials have done an initial bridge inspection, DOTD said, and determined the lane needed to be closed until a more thorough inspection was done.
DOTD is now in the process of getting a detailed structural inspection, which will look for cracks, shifts, spalling and other significant damage, Mallett said.
They are also inspecting the damaged area to see if there's a temporary fix, Mallett said.
He did not say how long the inspection will take or give an estimate for repairs. The lane will be closed at least until the results of the inspection are finished.
"Every crash is different so their time tables vary," he said.
Closed to trucks
The route is closed to trucks, traffic officials said. Truck drivers on I-10 East heading to New Orleans should take either I-12 in Baton Rouge or I-55 North in LaPlace, DOTD said.
While traffic was diverted Monday to Airline Highway (U.S. 61) in LaPlace, officials said drivers should no longer take that route because it is being used for Hurricane Ida recovery efforts.
You can check current conditions through the state's traffic website at 511LA.org or by calling 511 if you are in Louisiana and saying the route or region you want information about. You also can call 1-888-ROAD-511 (1-888-762-3511).
Missy Wilkinson contributed to this story.