This daytrip is from Biloxi, MS to New Orleans, LA and back on September 16, 2001.
Had duty today, and as part of that, had to drive someone from Keesler AFB to
New Orleans Int'l airport (in a government vehicle, no less). So, in
effect, I got to go "roadtripping" today.
Not much in the way of notes, but here's some from I-10:
- Bridge piers and now some of the concrete I-beams are going up on the west
side of the Jourdan River. For those who don't know, MDOT is widening I-10
between Exit 13 and Exit 16, which includes rebuilding the Jourdan River bridge.
- Maybe it's just me, but it seems like the I-10/12/59 junction has new BGS
every time I drive past, whether they're really new or not...
- VMS and orange construction signs stating that the US 11 Lake Pontchartrain
bridge was open to vehicles under 15 tons.
- WB I-10 LA shield spotted somewhere near US 90 (east of the Industrial Canal).
- Construction is completed at I-10/I-610, and the new interchange is NICE. The
merge westbound seems to flow very smoothly, as you have all the way to Causeway
Blvd before you finally have to merge to stay on WB I-10. EB didn't get much,
except for a brief spat of 5 lanes just before the split. Now if only LA DOTD
could expedite widening/rebuilding I-10 west of there.
- Construction at the I-10/LA 49 interchange...couldn't tell what was
immediately being worked on.
- Some sort of construction on the airport connector road between I-10 and the
terminal. The connector is normally 4-lanes undivided, but because of
construction was reduced to 2 lanes and a 25 MPH speed limit.
- Spotted from an overpass that Veterans Blvd was being widened east of LA 49
for a distance.
- The airport connector road to EB I-10 ramp parallels the EB I-10 mainline for
about a half mile before merging.
- Spotted 3 different types of font for I-610 shields.
- No END I-610 shields/signs in either direction.
- LA DOTD needs to do something abouth the pavement condition on I-10 between
I-510 and I-12/59. Too many ruts/holes/dips for concrete.
- EB I-10 LA shield spotted east of I-12/59 (1st reassurance marker past the
merge)
- Concrete blockers at all gates at Keesler AFB (similar to Jersey bariers, but
taller). The two gates that are open require incoming drives to weave left, then
right, then left again before coming to the actual gate. Outgoing drives are
also reduced to a single lane. I'm usually coming in early enough to not see
much traffic, but I can imagine this causes headaches during rush hour at the
main gate which probably back up the local Biloxi street (White Ave) clear back
to US 90 (1/4 mile south). The railroad's (CSX's main Coast line...15-20 trains
a day...also used by Amtrak) proximity to the main gate complicates things even
in normal "peacetime", let alone now.
I have yet to get to the Seabee base to see how things are set up there.
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