Update on Friday, March, 18, 2016 at 10 a.m.
Emergency management officials in Orange say the water has finally starting to recede on flooded I-10 at the Texas-Louisiana state line. The road was closed Tuesday, forcing TxDOT to re-route traffic a couple of hundred miles to the north to I-20.
Officials say they'll have to inspect the road for damage before they can reopen it to traffic, and they're not sure when that will be.
Original post from March 17, 2016 at 2:00 p.m.
- Governor Abbott Touring Flood Damage And Receive Briefing In Orange, TX (Photo Credit: Office of the Governor)
- Governor Abbott Touring Flood Damage And Receive Briefing In Orange, TX (Photo Credit: Office of the Governor)
- Governor Abbott Touring Flood Damage And Receive Briefing In Orange, TX (Photo Credit: Office of the Governor)
It's another day of traffic detours for people trying to get to Louisiana. I-10 remains closed at the state line because of flooding and it could be a few days before it reopens.
“I-10 will reopen once the water has receded and once TxDOT has been able to get a crew out to evaluate the roadway, make sure there are not any damages to the roadway,” said Sarah Dupre with TxDOT in Beaumont. “Once it is safe for I-10 to reopen we will do so.”
I10 still closed at TX/LA line. Will reopen when water has receded and rd has been evaluated pic.twitter.com/ScLu1gnBmc
— TxDOT-Beaumont (@TxDOTBeaumont) March 17, 2016
Dupre said even after the water recedes, it could be a while before they get I-10 reopened.
“We have people on I-10 24-hours a day monitoring the water levels,” she said. “So as soon as that water goes down, we will be out here to assess for any damages.”
Dupre is also warning drivers about flooding on local roads, especially in Newton and Orange counties.
"Some of those closures, the water has actually receded, but there are damages to some of those roadways."
UPDATE: Picture from inside our Orange district office on Green Avenue across from @LamarOrange. #SETXFloods pic.twitter.com/WATdd04jaJ
— Brian Babin (@RepBrianBabin) March 17, 2016
The water has also flooded the Texas visitors information center and there's no word yet on damages.
If you're traveling eastbound on I-10, the last place to exit before the closure is Highway 62 just west of Orange.
To get into Louisiana, TxDOT's is asking drivers to use I-20, which is about 200 miles to the north. You can also use U.S. 190 eastbound, and that's about 70 miles north of Beaumont.
State Highway 82 south of Port Arthur will get drivers into Louisiana, but it's a narrow road with a two-lane bridge, and TxDOT isn't recommending it.
