MANCHAC, La. — Editor's note: On Friday, Oct. 27, Louisiana State Police reduced the number of victims to seven fatalities rather than eight following a forensic investigation.
Repair work on the southbound lanes of I-55 near Manchac will begin this weekend, the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development announced Friday.
Contractors could begin mobilizing equipment in the area and work could take up to two weeks to complete.
The DOTD emphasized that one lane would remain open. Currently the left lane is open and it will remain so as work is done on the right lane. Once the work on the right lane is completed, it will open and the left lane will close.
Motorists should prepare to slow down in the area both because of the single lane and for caution around work crews.
There had been no update given on plans for the northbound lanes as of Friday at noon. They remain closed. DOTD said that the inspections have been completed and are being analyzed.
On Monday, in a dense Super Fog that had visibility in some areas at a few feet, a series of three crashes closed the span in both directions and left seven people dead, more than 60 injured and 168 damaged vehicles.
Rescue crews were hampered getting to the scene by the fog and the sheer number of damaged vehicles that were stacked as if they were in a junkyard. Fire crews fought several vehicle fires from below by shooting water up and into the span.
The thick fog had closed the Causeway and caused many people headed to the airport to use I-55 as an alternative. The crash was one of the deadliest in Louisiana.