PORT ALLEN - Louisiana State Police closed I-10 East entirely between Lafayette and Baton Rouge after a wreck involving multiple vehicles Tuesday evening.

The closure capped a day filled with wrecks, congestion, and delays for drivers trying to travel between the two cities. At one point traffic was backed up for nearly ten miles on one side of I-10.

Tuesday evening drivers were being directed off I-49 north of Lafayette onto US 190 in order to make the hour-long trip to Baton Rouge while State Police cleared the wreck at mile marker 132 on the Atchafalaya Basin Bridge. At the time the interstate closed traffic had been backed up for two miles behind the wreck.

The trouble started just after 8 a.m. with a wreck on I-10 East at Whiskey Bay. Traffic quickly backed up for several miles, and the site of the wreck was fully cleared two hours later. Congestion remained for hours after the initial incident, however. 

After the congestion at that wreck cleared after 12 a.m., DOTD reported more backups on I-10 East from Ramah to Grosse Tete due to "emergency road maintenance." That congestion remained throughout the rest of the day, pushing onto the Basin Bridge until the wreck happened just after 4 p.m.

DOTD said the closure was expected to last more than an hour, but after 5 p.m. said drivers were being detoured off I-49 and onto US 190 until things could be cleared up.

The congestion is expected to continue the rest of the week as DOTD continues inspecting the Basin Bridge in St. Martin Parish Wednesday through Monday. DOTD said inspections along I-10 West between Henderson were scheduled from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, and 7 a.m. to noon Thursday and Monday. Bad weather could cause them to shift that schedule, though.