BATON ROUGE - The Department of Transportation and Development on Friday said repairs to the southbound lanes of I-55 would continue for up to two weeks before the roadway could open entirely. 

The southbound lanes of I-55 reopened Thursday morning, but the roadway tapered to one lane near the crash site. Repairs to the road in the closed lane would continue for several more days before the road would be approved to return to full capacity. 

Officials are working to address the full extent of the damage caused when at least 168 vehicles smashed into each other in heavy fog during the morning rush hour. Many of the vehicles involved caught fire, and visual inspections show those fires led to "spalling" -- fractures and a breakdown of the highway surface under the intense heat.

Eight people died in the incident, with dozens more injured.

Removal of the debris and the mangled vehicles was completed on Tuesday. The southbound lanes of I-55 partially reopened Thursday, and the entirety of the northbound lanes remained closed with no further details on when they would reopen.