I-49 Closed in Lafayette After Tanker Truck Flips

UPDATE, 8 a.m.: The southbound right lane is now open. Traffic is moving slowly through the crash site.

UPDATE, 7 a.m.: I-49 North is now open. Traffic is backed up approximately two miles.

ORIGINAL STORY:

If you usually take Interstate 49 as part of your commute into or out of Lafayette, you'll need to take a different route today.

Note that we didn't say "this morning." A crash on I-49 just north of its intersection with Interstate 10 will leave the highway closed for most of the day today.

That crash happened just before 1 a.m. on I-49 between the Pont Des Mouton Road exit and the I-10 interchange.

Lafayette Fire Department

According to Lafayette Fire Department spokesman Alton Trahan, an tanker truck carrying gasoline collided with another vehicle. The tanker truck overturned, causing severe damage to the cargo tank carrying the gasoline. Trahan says the LFD Hazmat Team assessed the scene and determined the gasoline would need to be removed from the tanker before recovery crews could flip the 18-wheeler into an upright position and clear the scene.

According to Trahan, that offloading process could take eight to 10 hours. Until the process is completed, both the north and southbound lanes of I-49 will be closed to traffic.

According to DOTD's online closure map, southbound traffic is being diverted at the Pont Des Mouton Road exit; northbound traffic, at the I-10/I-49 interchange. The best alternate route for drivers is LA 182/North University Avenue. Other detour options include the Moss Street/Gloria Switch Road corridor and the Pont Des Mouton Road/Louisiana Avenue corridor.

Seven Forgotten Facts About Lafayette

The area now known as downtown Lafayette was first settled 200 years ago. While the street grid of that original settlement is the same as it was then, the rest of the city has grown and changed exponentially. Let's take a look at some of those changes by taking a look at some of the forgotten facts in Lafayette history.