ROSEDALE — Residents in the community of Rosedale say Interstate 10 Eastbound backups are turning their town into an unofficial detour route, and they want it to stop.

When traffic stacks up on the interstate, drivers pour onto Highway 76 and Rosedale Road, cutting through town to avoid the slowdown. Residents say it can become nearly impossible to leave their own driveways.

"It makes it difficult to get out of your driveway," Tommy Gioele said. "They'll block up from right here all the way back to the next curve."

Life in Rosedale normally moves at a slower pace.

"It's pretty peaceful, no problems," Tommy Gioele said.

But Mayor Dana Alexander says the traffic has become more than just an inconvenience. She's raising concerns about what could happen during an emergency to those in her community.

"If there's an emergency, how is anybody going to get out of here or get help if they need it," Alexander said.

Alexander says the situation points to a bigger problem: small rural roads that were never built to handle interstate-level traffic are now being used as overflow routes. She also says things could get worse as summer travel picks up and interstate traffic is expected to stay heavy.

"Waze diverts everybody through Rosedale as a bypass to the interstate," Alexander said.

The mayor is now calling for action, whether that means improving the roadway or bringing in state police to help move drivers through faster during backups.

"I would like to see somebody be able to monitor or slow down traffic," Alexander said. "Just really move it out of our area."

The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development said in a statement that drivers often use alternate routes during interstate situations to avoid congestion. The department also said it will continue reviewing pavement conditions along Highway 76 and make repairs and improvements when needed.