New ramps connecting I-10 to the new Armstrong New Orleans International Airport terminal are set to open in a few months, about four years after the new terminal opened.
A pandemic, a hurricane, and logistics issues have pushed back the original opening date of the new lanes that will take drivers from I-10 straight to airport property, without having to bother with traffic lights on Loyola Ave. at the I-10 exit, and on Veterans Blvd. at Loyola.
"We anticipate at this time that those ramps will be open to traffic in November of this year," said Scott Boyle, District Engineer Administrator for the New Orleans of the Louisiana Department of Transportation.
Chris Miller
Not even the recent heat wave is expected to slow work down.
"Certainly, it's something to be aware of," said Boyle. "We encourage all of our workers, whether they're contractors of ours or even our personal maintenance staff to take breaks and make sure that they have fluids and pace themselves in these high temperatures."
Since the new terminal opened in November 2019, drivers have had to negotiate lights at the I-10's Loyola Ave. exit, and again at Loyola and Veterans. Boyle says they have managed to avoid the traffic jams that people were predicting.
"We worked very hard at the opening of the airport to restripe, to time those traffic signals, to monitor conditions," he said.
After the new ramps open, DoTD will complete work on the "diverging diamond" interchange at Loyola and I-10 by early 2024.
