Louisiana
Thursday Road Closures for South Louisiana [Updated]
![Thursday Road Closures for South Louisiana [Updated]](https://i1.wp.com/townsquare.media/site/36/files/2025/01/attachment-SNow-Pile-on-Congress-2.jpg?w=1200&format=natural&ssl=1 "Thursday Road Closures for South Louisiana [Updated]")
[Updated 0300 AM 01.23.2025] Temperatures across South Louisiana were not as frigid last night as the previous night. Still, they were cold enough to drop well below the freezing mark for much of the nighttime hours across the region. The temperature at Lafayette this morning just before sunrise was listed at 21 degrees. Similar temperature readings are prevalent along the I-10 corridor this morning.
Yesterday, temperatures rose above the freezing mark and abundant sunshine helped to clear some of the ice off of some of the roadways. These roadways are still not ready to handle normal traffic loads. There are still many slick spots and patches of “black ice” that will make driving difficult during the morning hours.
Authorities on the state and local levels are encouraging you to not be on the roads, especially during the morning hours. By this afternoon conditions are expected to improve. But as of this morning, many roads are still closed. The basic explanation for road conditions this morning is this. If it was closed yesterday, it’s still closed today.
This is what West Congress Street in Lafayette between Ambassador Caffery Parkway and Rue de Belier looked like Wednesday afternoon at about 3 pm. As you can see, most of the lanes of travel are clear but there is still plenty of snow and ice in the way.
Below is the most recent listing of road closures that were reported to us. This list will be updated throughout the course of the day. Check back with us often.
Here is the Complete List of Statewide Closures/Openings as reported by the Louisiana Department of Transportation. This is the latest update provided by DOTD.
[Previous Update 01.22.2025 8 pm]
These are the updated road closures for Wednesday as of 8 pm, January 21, 2025, that will affect travel for South Louisiana motorists.
The Lafayette Police Department asks that all motorists avoid the following areas:
- Lafayette:
- I-10 Eastbound from I-49
- I-10 Westbound at Ambassador near Cameron Overpass
- 1500 block of W. Pinhook Rd.
- 300 Acadian Hills/Pont Des Mouton
- E University/General Mouton
- Camelia/Vermillion River
- 200 block Pont Des Mouton @ the curve
- Ambassador/Vermillion River
- Surrey/Vermillion River
- General Mouton/Vermilion River
- ON/OFF Ramp I-10/I-49
- Scott:
- Bridge L Provost @ Breakers Way
- Bridge near 3000 block W. Willow
- Bridge near 2500 block W. Willow
- Bridge near 2300 block W. Willow
- Elmira
- Renaud @ Roger
- Mills Overpass
- Dulles @ Fremont
- Le Violon @ Dulles
- Youngsville:
- Larriviere @ LA 92
- 500 block Griffin
- Broussard:
- Albertson Parkway from Hwy 90 to St. De Porres
Lafayette Airport:
Read More: Here Are the Acadiana Parishes With Active Curfews
Original—Tuesday Updates
UPDATED: These are the latest road closures as of 6pm Tuesday January 2025.
As of 3:00 this morning, travelers on Interstate 10 will have to choose an alternate route to move either east or west because the roadway is shut down between I-49 in Lafayette to Lobdell just west of Baton Rouge. That was reported just moments ago on LA511.org.(0300AM)
For the latest updates, keep scrolling.
It was confirmed via Louisiana DOTD in this social media post.
We are currently gathering information from LA DoTD and Louisiana State Police and will update this post throughout the morning.
[Updated 5 PM CST 01.21.2025]
From the Lafayette/Acadiana Area:
Lafayette Police have closed Ambassador Caffery Parkway at the railroad overpass. They are asking all motorists to stay off the roadways until conditions have improved.
The following are CLOSED:
- Albertson PKWY – 1000 Block
- Dulles Dr. – Block 2600
- Elmira Rd.- Block 100
- Griffin Rd. – Block 500
- I-10 at I-49 N Off Ramp
- I-49 @ I-10 W On Ramp
- L Provost Rd. Block 800
- LE Violon Rd – Block 700
- Mill St. – Block 800
- Renaud Dr. – Block 1600
- Terminal Dr. – Block 200
- W Pinhook Rd. – Block 1500
- W Willow St. – Block 3000
- W Willow St.- Block 2500-2300
[Updated 3:41 via 511LA.org]
From the Baton Rouge Area:
Winter Weather on I-12 Westbound from US-61 Northbound MM (3) to I-10/I-12 MM (1). All lanes closed. Winter Weather on I-10 Westbound from LA-42 MM (167) to I-12 Eastbound MM (160).
From the Morgan City Area: [Updated 0721 CST 01.25.2025]
Winter Weather on US-90 Both Directions from Duhon Blvd to Highway 631. All lanes are closed. US 90, between Amelia and Des Allemands, in Terrebonne and Lafourche Parish is closed due to winter weather.
From the Greater New Orleans Area:
Winter Weather on I-55 Both Directions from Laplace MM (1) to Ponchatoula MM (26).
Due to hazardous winter conditions, the I-55 elevated section in St. John the Baptist and Tangipahoa Parishes will be closed in both directions, from I-10/I-55 (Laplace) to LA 22 (Exit 22, near Ponchatoula), beginning on 1/21/2025 at 4 a.m. until further notice.
Winter Weather on US-90-BR Both Directions from Loyola Ave MM (234) to Frontage Rd. All HOV Lanes are Closed. US 90B HOV lane, Orleans Parish, is closed due to winter weather. DOTD’s emergency personnel will continue to monitor upcoming weather situations and will scout the area for safety on the roadways.
| Winter Weather on I-10 Both Directions from Laplace MM (209) to Fremaux Ave MM (266). | |
| Due to hazardous winter conditions, I-10 will be closed in both directions from US 51 (Laplace Exit 209) to US 190B (Fremaux Ave Exit 265) beginning on 1/21/2025 at 4 a.m. until further notice. |
In the Alexandria Area:
Winter Weather on LA-8 Both Directions from Boyce Bridge MM (99) to Grant Rapides Parish Line MM (99). All lanes closed.
Bridge Closure LA 8 (Richard S Thompson Memorial Bridge) Rapides & Grant Parishes The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development advises motorists that effective immediately the LA 8 Bridge (often referred to as the Boyce Bridge), over the Red River in Rapides and Grant Parishes, will be closed due to anticipated winter weather conditions. This closure will remain in effect until the roadway has been deemed safe for travel.
Winter Weather on US-165-BR Both Directions from Jackson Street Bridge to Jackson Street Bridge. All lanes closed. BRIDGE CLOSURE: US 165 Business (Jackson Street Bridge), Rapides Parish The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development advises motorists that beginning on Monday, January 20, 2025, at 9:00 p.m., the US 165-Business bridge over the Red River in Rapides Parish will be closed to all vehicular and marine traffic until further notice.Up
[Updated 04:30 CST 01.21.2025]
The Louisiana Department of Transportation has updated information on its social media sites concerning Interstate Highways in Louisiana.
[Updated 0500 CST 01.21.2025]
Winter Weather on LA-10 Both Directions from LA-1 to US-61 Southbound. All lanes closed. The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development announces that due to hazardous weather conditions, LA 10, Audubon Bridge Road which also includes the John James Audubon Bridge, is closed from LA 1 (Hospital Road) in Pointe Coupee Parish to US 61 in West Feliciana.
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Gallery Credit: Bruce Mikells
Louisiana
Three inmates escape from Louisiana jail — cops racing to nab final fugitive murder suspect
Three inmates allegedly broke out of a Louisiana jail through a crumbling wall on Wednesday — and authorities are racing to capture the final escapee, who is a murder suspect.
The fugitive trio — Joseph Allen Harrington, 26, Jonathan Jevon Joseph, 24, and Keith Eli, 24 — escaped St. Landry Paris Jail in Opelousas by prying through a decaying wall over time and lowering themselves to freedom with sheets and other items, according to the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office.
Joseph was soon nabbed, while Harrington killed himself after being found hiding inside a home. Eli is still on the run, authorities said.
“We would prefer that he surrender himself peaceably,” Sheriff Bobby J. Guidroz said of Eli, who is charged with second-degree murder.
“But we will not rest until he is captured.”
Officials said Joseph — jailed on rape and other charges — was nabbed Friday after a brief chase. Police tracked a tip to a home, where he ran to nearby storage shed before being cornered and surrendering.
Harrington killed himself with a hunting rifle Thursday after police found him at a home and used a loudspeaker to try to get him to surrender, according to Port Barre Police Chief Deon Boudreaux.
Records show Harrington had been facing nine felony charges, including home invasion.
Authorities and SWAT continued the manhunt Saturday.
Police warned anyone who spots Eli to stay away and call 911 immediately.
The jailbreak comes six months after 10 inmates escaped a New Orleans prison through a small window hidden by a toilet, leaving behind graffiti mocking authorities, including “To Easy LoL.”
Authorities scoured multiple states for the runaways as local officials blamed each other for the breakout.
It took five months to recapture all 10 inmates.
The sheriff’s office said the trio in this latest escape were more cunning than in past prison busts.
Officials said the jailbreakers pried through a degraded wall, gradually removing the mortar between concrete blocks until they could slip out. They then used sheets to scale an exterior wall, drop onto a roof, and lower themselves to the ground.
“These three were just a little more creative than in years past,” sheriff spokesperson Major Mark LeBlanc said.
“They’re charged with violent felonies and we know they’re desperate to get away.”
The prison break will be investigated internally.
With Post wires.
Two inmates accused of violent crimes, including second-degree attempted murder, are on the run after escaping from a south-western Louisiana jail on Wednesday by removing pieces of a deteriorating interior wall and using sheets to scale another outside wall, officials said.
A third inmate who joined in the breakout died by suicide after he was tracked down.
It was only the latest bold jail escape in Louisiana. In May, 10 inmates broke out of a New Orleans jail after crawling through a hole behind a toilet. It wasn’t until five months later – following the discovery of the escape crime scene with a message that read “To Easy LoL”, finger-pointing by officials as to who was to blame for the audacious escape and a search that spanned multiple states – that all 10 inmates were recaptured.
Wednesday morning’s escape, which took place at the St Landry parish jail in Opelousas, Louisiana, involved three inmates. Sheriff Bobby J Guidroz, who oversees the jail in question about 130 miles (209km) north-west of New Orleans, said the “inmates discovered a degrading part of an upper wall area and, over time, removed the mortar allowing them to remove concrete blocks and provide their exit”.
The inmates then used “sheets and other items” to scale the outer wall and “drop on to” the first floor roof, before “lowering themselves to the ground”, Guidroz said in a press release.
Additional details about the escape were not immediately available. Guidroz said it will be investigated internally.
The sheriff’s office identified the two escaped inmates still on the loose as Keith Eli, 24, of Opelousas, who was facing a second-degree attempted murder charge, and Johnathan Jevon Joseph, 24, also of Opelousas, who was facing several charges, including principal to first-degree rape.
The third escaper, Joseph Allen Harrington, 26, of Melville, who faced several felony charges, including home invasion, died by his own hand after he was found, the Port Barre, Louisiana, police chief, Deon Boudreaux, said by telephone.
After a tipster who recognized Harrington told police on Thursday that he was seen pushing a black e-bike, an officer spotted the e-bike at a nearby home. Police used a loudspeaker to urge Harrington to come out of the house, and they later heard a gunshot. Harrington was found dead inside the home. He had shot himself with a hunting rifle, Boudreaux said.
St Landry sheriff’s department spokesperson Maj Mark LeBlanc wasn’t aware of the jail being breached in a similar way in the past – but noted that anyone will try to escape with enough time and opportunity.
“These three were just a little more creative than in years past,” he said.
There’s no credible indications that the remaining fugitives have left the parish (Louisiana’s term for county), and LeBlanc warned residents to secure their homes and vehicles.
“They’re charged with violent felonies and we know they’re desperate to get away,” he said.
Anyone who helps the fugitives will be prosecuted, he added.
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