BATON ROUGE – Traffic slowed to a crawl Wednesday around lunchtime.

The usual pre-Thanksgiving Day gridlock started around 11 a.m. when DOTD reported that the left lane of I-10 West on the Mississippi River Bridge was blocked due to an accident. Around 12:36 p.m., DOTD reported that all lanes opened but delays were too extensive to resolve themselves.  Quickly, traffic reached Siegen Lane on I-10 West and Airline Highway on I-12 West.  By the end of the afternoon, traffic was stopped nearly into Ascension Parish on I-10.

Eastbound was no different.  Slowdowns started in Iberville Parish.  

All day, DOTD advised drivers that traffic will be heavier than usual due to holiday travel. 

Expect heavier than normal traffic congestion on I-10, I-110 & I-12 due to inclement weather and holiday travel.

— Baton Rouge Traffic (@BR_Traffic) November 23, 2016

Drivers can also monitor traffic using the WBRZ traffic cameras and advanced tracking system.

Expect similar issues as people head home Sunday.