BATON ROUGE — Drivers in Baton Rouge should prepare for lane shifts, overnight closures and nearby street closures as a major construction project gets underway along Interstate 10 and Interstate 110.

The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development says the next phase of the project will widen the I-10 westbound flyover ramp leading to the Mississippi River Bridge, as well as the I-110 westbound on-ramp.

“And this next phase is going to be widening the flyover that takes I-10 over 110 and to the Mississippi River bridge going west to Lafayette,” Mallett said. “We’re going to widen that and widen the 110 on-ramp going west as well. All part of the widening project.”

Crews will begin by restriping lanes and shifting traffic closer to the outside barrier wall. Temporary concrete barriers will then be installed as workers remove portions of the existing bridge deck to make room for the expansion.

“They’re going to restripe, they’re going to move the two right-hand lanes that are going west right now over closer to the big wall then they’re going to put up a concrete barrier and then they’re going to tear down what’s left of the deck and widen that,” Mallett said.

Most of the work will take place overnight on weekends from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. to reduce the impact on daytime traffic. Drivers should still expect lane shifts and temporary closures as construction progresses.

In addition to changes on the interstate, areas beneath the overpass will also be affected. Portions of Expressway Park, along with Maximilian Street and St. Joseph Street, will be closed during construction for safety reasons.

“There’s some city streets that are directly under the construction zone and those are going to be closed for safety sake,” Mallett said.

Fort, a lifelong Baton Rouge resident, said there is optimism the project will ease congestion.

“I was born and raised in Baton Rouge,” Fort said. “I’m just curious about how they’re going to go about doing it.”

Fort added, “I’m just curious how it’s going to turn out. If it’s going to make traffic much better than what it is. I’m all for it.”

Transportation officials say additional details, including specific closure dates and detour routes, will be released before major lane closures begin.