LAKE CHARLES, La. — The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development has announced multiple singular shoulder closures along Interstate 10 in both directions between mile marker 25 in Westlake and mile marker 31 in Lake Charles from Sunday, March 22, 2026, through Wednesday, April 22, 2026.
According to the department, the closures will affect the eastbound and westbound shoulders only. Work will be conducted from the shoulders, and no traffic lane closures or traffic impairments are expected during the scheduled period.
The work zone stretches across a busy section of I-10 in Calcasieu Parish, linking Westlake and Lake Charles. State transportation officials said the closures are needed to support a range of roadside and infrastructure activities. Those include preconstruction work, such as surveys and soil borings, as well as duct bank operations, a term used for underground pathways that protect utility lines.
In addition, crews are expected to carry out maintenance inspections and repairs involving bridges, guardrail, lighting, and drainage structures. The schedule also includes moving operations, debris and litter removal, and mowing.
The Department of Transportation and Development said the work will be performed weather permitting, meaning rain or severe conditions could affect the schedule.
Because the work is limited to the shoulders, drivers on I-10 through Westlake and Lake Charles should continue to have access to regular travel lanes. Even so, motorists may still want to remain alert in the area for work vehicles, crews near the roadway, and changing shoulder access points.
The announcement covers a monthlong window of intermittent shoulder closures rather than a single continuous shutdown. That means closures may occur at different times and locations within the mile marker 25 to mile marker 31 corridor as crews perform various tasks.
Interstate 10 is one of Southwest Louisiana’s main transportation corridors, and shoulder access is often used for maintenance and early-stage project work that can be done without restricting travel lanes. Surveys and soil borings, for example, help engineers evaluate site conditions before larger construction work begins.
Transportation officials have not announced lane reductions as part of this notice. The department’s advisory states that traffic will not be impaired while crews complete the listed work along the interstate shoulders.
Motorists traveling through Westlake and Lake Charles during the closure period are encouraged to use caution in the area and watch for posted work activity.