!! I-10 closed !!

[gearhead]

I-10 is closing at the Texas/Louisiana border due to record flooding. Other crossings of the Sabine River at Texas HWY12 and US190 are closed as well. Detour is I-20 at Shreveport. This will be a mess as that is a 200 mile detour. I expect I-20 will be a huge traffic jam.

[Mike484]

First off, I hope everyone in the areas of flooding are safe and hope for the best in what they are losing. We have been through a couple bad floods here in our area and its not a good thing to go through.

Our trip is planned for us to leave on the 25th to Florida, I sure hope everything is back to near normal at that time. The park in which we are scheduled to stay the first 2-3 nights at, Natalbany Creek Campground near Amite City Louisiana, flooded last week, very nice campground, I'm hoping that will be cleaned up and back in service.

[gearhead]

First off, I hope everyone in the areas of flooding are safe and hope for the best in what they are losing. We have been through a couple bad floods here in our area and its not a good thing to go through.

Our trip is planned for us to leave on the 25th to Florida, I sure hope everything is back to near normal at that time. The park in which we are scheduled to stay the first 2-3 nights at, Natalbany Creek Campground near Amite City Louisiana, flooded last week, very nice campground, I'm hoping that will be cleaned up and back in service.


If you need an overnight stop in that area, Lakeside RV right off I-12 at Livingston, LA. is pretty good:
http://lakeside-rvpark.com/

[mfifield01]

My wife drove through I-10 yesterday going to NE Louisiana. She said that it was like going down the keys. The water looked like it was at the same level as the road. I hope it comes down over the next week.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

[gearhead]

Looks like it is still going up near I-10, but has crested up river. Bon Weir vs. Ruliiff gauge stations. 194,000 cubic feet per second is a lot of water. I saw 235,000CFS at one station yesterday. The little town of Deweyville TX is under water.
http://waterdata.usgs.gov/tx/nwis/uv/?site_no=08030500&PARAmeter_cd=00065,00060

[JRTJH]

There is significant flooding along the Red River from Shreveport to the confluence with the Atchafalaya River just north of Simmsport. I-49 was closed yesterday from Natchitoches up to almost Coushatta. It's open now, but who knows for how long. It seems that when the interstate closes, the side roads that could be used to detour have already been under water for a while. There's no easy way "around" the flooded parts.

There are several "Red River Lock and Dam" problems with some significant damage north of Marksville. So far they seem to be holding, but low areas to the north of Lake Buhlow near Pineville have been evacuated two times this year. The current flooding is said to be significantly worse than the previous flood.

It's going to be a long, wet spring along many of the rivers in Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.

[gearhead]

^^Yes sir I think so as well. Our backyard is the levee that protects our town from the Trinity River. I can recall only a few weeks last year that we haven't had the river bottoms flooded and water up against the levee. We have a very heavily wooded National wildlife refuge behind us. Surprised we haven't seen a gator yet.
Houston media is saying the Sabine river will crest in Orange TX tomorrow afternoon, but the river will stay high and I-10 could be closed for many days.

Minor complaint....no telling when there will be any saltwater back in the bays. Crappie at the Galveston jetties??

[gearhead]

TxDot press release:

ORANGE, March 16, 2016 - Eastbound lanes of I-10 were closed early Wednesday at the Texas-Louisiana state line as rising floodwaters from excessive rainfall covered the interstate. Louisiana officials had halted westbound traffic earlier Tuesday when water from the swollen Sabine River went across those lanes on the Texas side. Motorists heading eastbound to Louisiana should use I-20 as an alternate route. For those traveling on I-10 from:


El Paso take I-20 East of Van Horn
San Antonio take I-35 North to I-20 East to Shreveport
Houston take US 59 North to I-20 East to Shreveport
Beaumont take US 96 North to US 69 North to US 59 North to I-20 East to Shreveport
Please visit www.DriveTexas.org or call 1-800-452-9292 for the most updated road conditions. Follow @TxDOT on Twitter and TxDOT on Facebook for updates.

A reminder that if you are driving in areas where water is crossing the road, remember #TurnAroundDontDrown.

[zuley]

Friends of ours travelled throught the area last week in a small van camper. Spoke to them last evening. They were camped out in a small camp ground in Texas off of I 10. The owner of the camp ground came to them and said you have to get out of here now and told them of the impending storm. Advised which direction to go to out run the weather. Well, I guess a couple of hours later they were in the middle of it. Poor old Sprinter didn't go fast enough I guess. Being from Ontario Canada they said they have never driven through or witnessed a storm as violent as the one they tried to stay in front of.

[gearhead]

Yeah, if you haven't witnessed a Gulf Coast thunderstorm or a cool front hitting juicy Gulf of Mexico humid air, it is likely an eye opener.

[JRTJH]

This is the railroad bridge across the Red River just north of Pineville, LA. Normally there is about 35 - 40' of clearance between the river and the bridge. As you can see, "there ain't much left". Heck, they'd have to raise the center span even for my bass boat to get under the bridge !!!

This is one spring when the "slow melting snow" really looks pretty good compared to what some others are facing.....

[mfifield01]

On drivetexas.org, it says the I-10 closure will end 3/21 at 5p. My wife may have to drive through Shreveport to get back on Sunday.

[Mike484]

What I saw this morning is that they are predicting it could be closed for another 10 days. Sure hope not, we are planning to leave the morning of the 25th to head to Florida and I damn sure dont want to puul it all the way up to I-20 to get through.

I have my fingers crossed that they will have it open by the 21st.

[notanlines]

Mike, men and women have been hauling trailers over two lane roads for more than 80 years. Travel is not required to be on the dreaded interstate. How about trying the back roads to Port Arthur and then on to New Iberia? Nice people and great food in the New Iberia area. Tell 'em Jim sent you. From there on into New Orleans and away you go.....:D

[sourdough]

My ex daughter in law sent some pics of the Red River at their house on the river S. of Alexandria this morning. She's lived there all her life (except when married to my son) and says it pretty bad. They built a new house on the river and made sure it would be well above any flooding, but, the water is in her front yard and the boat launch and elevated walks are barely hanging on. Thankfully it has crested and hopefully it will start to recede (barring any further rain). Maybe the roads will be open by the 21st so those that need to travel can.

[Mike484]

Mike, men and women have been hauling trailers over two lane roads for more than 80 years. Travel is not required to be on the dreaded interstate. How about trying the back roads to Port Arthur and then on to New Iberia? Nice people and great food in the New Iberia area. Tell 'em Jim sent you. From there on into New Orleans and away you go.....:D

Yes, I thought f trying to find some back roads, but, all the news reports are saying to go 1-20, may be because there's no other way to cross over the Sabine River.

[notanlines]

I guess I was hoping highway 82 was open. I've been on all these over the years, but in that I don't live there it is hard to keep everything straight. Still a week to go. Hopefully everything will work out.

[Mike484]

The river has already created, so I'm really hoping that the estimate of the 21st is right. Natalbany Creek Campgrounds is back up and running, so all I have to hope for is I-10 opening back up.

[gearhead]

I guess I was hoping highway 82 was open. I've been on all these over the years, but in that I don't live there it is hard to keep everything straight. Still a week to go. Hopefully everything will work out.
The last I heard 82 was open from Port Arthur east and then you could run up north on LA27 through Hackberry to I-10. Heard on the fishing forum that it is backed up. Already had traffic issues there at the Causeway Bridge south side of Pleasure island with the LNG terminal construction.
Biggest issue in Houston seems to be getting Louisiana crawfish into Texas.

[gearhead]

Westbound I-10 is open per Houston TV...
http://www.click2houston.com/news/i-10-westbound-lanes-are-open-eastbound-lanes-remain-closed

[Mike484]

Alright! No delay in our trip, will be leaving Friday morning!

[gearhead]

Channel 13 TV is saying all lanes are now open. But, they are also saying TxDot recommends the I-20 detour if eastbound. Good luck.