KENNER, La. — Nearly four years in the making it's welcome news to those heading to and from Louis Armstrong Airport. The highly anticipated airport flyover finally opened just before 7:30 a.m. Friday for drivers heading to the airport.
The opening of the new ramp marks the first significant step toward the completion of the $125.6 million I-10/Loyola Drive Interchange Project, ongoing since 2020, which improves interstate, local, and airport traffic flow through the Kenner area.
“We are excited about this great news, which is a testament to our continued commitment to improving Louisiana’s infrastructure that will provide pivotal access to thousands of people every single day,” said Gov. Edwards.
The project started in 2020.and cost approximately $125 million. It was originally expected to be completed in 2022. It was delayed by Hurricane Ida in 2021 and supply chain slowdowns.
Scott Boyle with LADOTD says the flyover will dramatically reduce commute times, with drivers no longer having to get off at Loyola Drive and deal with red lights and traffic.
"Now motorists are going to be able to get off at this flyover ramp and bypass all of that and brought right on the edge of the airport property," Boyle said, "It's really a shining moment for the state of Louisiana, for the city of Kenner."
Boyle says part of the reason the project took so long was because this stretch of I-10 is the busiest in the state, making construction harder, with 125,000 drivers traveling along that stretch of the interstate daily.
"The project is set to construct a ramp in the Westbound direction to the airport, a ramp from the airport to I-10 eastbound as well as a diverging diamond that will be constructed later on this year," Boyle said.
Drivers say they're looking forward to traffic easing in the area, Luis Lopez said, "We need it because you can't build an airport and not have a way to get in and out."
Darryl Johnson said, "I have been in the traffic so many times... picking up somebody, dropping off somebody, dropping the car off, leaving, flying out, and the traffic, it's going to make a huge difference."
"Maybe stop this chaos they have on Loyola and I-10," Lopez said. "I have been living in New Orleans all my life, 50 years. I was excited when they built the airport, and then we had no way to get in and out."
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