Louisiana state officials have turned I-10 running through New Orleans into a one-way street directing traffic out of the city, as 1.2-million people in the city were ordered to evacuate before Hurricane Ivan makes landfall.
The New York Times reported every highway out of New Orleans was ground to a near standstill throughout most of Tuesday. The hurricane is expected to make landfall as early as Thursday.
Louisiana State Police reports the following traffic information:
- I-10 Eastbound is closed at US-61
- Entry into New Orleans is through US-61 Westbound only within LA
- I-55 Southbound going into New Orleans is closed from I-12 TO I-10. This includes all interchanges in between, including US-51 bypass in Hammond, LA-22 in Ponchatoula, and US-51 South of Ponchatoula.
In Alabama a mandatory evacuation was ordered for Mobile and Baldwin counties south of I-10. Traffic on I-65 Northbound from mobile yesterday moved at an average of 35 to 40 mph.
In Alabama:
- I-65 Southbound into Mobile is closed at Montgomery
- US-90 at Baldwin County is closed at Bankhead Tunnel due to potential flooding
In Mississippi:
- Access to I-59 Southbound from US-49 Northbound ramp is closed to alleviate congestion
In Florida:
The Florida Department of Transportation is reporting no road closures at press time.
