BATON ROUGE - Traveling during the holiday season can be a massive headache. Here in Baton Rouge, traffic on a normal day causes a ton of frustration.

"If you get stuck in the 4 or 5 o'clock traffic you're doomed," Baton Rouge Resident Joey Manda said.

Especially when it comes to the new Mississippi River bridge.

"The bridge going toward Lafayette and Port Allen is always just tremendous traffic, pretty much no matter what time you go over there," Manda said.

The West Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office is taking extra precautions to help things run smoothly over the next few travel days, including putting more deputies on motorcycles.

"The motorcycles are a valuable tool in getting to traffic - especially on that bridge," Lt. Ken Albarez said. "We can weave in and out of traffic. We have the lights and sirens and we can get to it quickly."

Albarez expects traffic to be heavy all day Wednesday.

"I would say from about 11 o'clock tomorrow morning until about 6 o'clock tomorrow evening I think is going to be our critical times," Albarez said.

The DOTD says they also plan to limit lane closures on 190 and I-10 near Lafayette to facilitate the flow of traffic. But officials want to stress - safe travel starts with you.

"Don't text and drive. If you're trying to get your coordinates - you're mapping devices on your phone - do it before you take off," Albarez said.

You can stay updated on local traffic at 511LA.org and on the WBRZ app.