BATON ROUGE - Drivers who routinely took the ramps from US 190 East or West to US 61 North are probably well-adjusted to the alternate route but a change is coming.

The interchange has been closed for almost a full year after it was damaged last May. A city work truck carrying large equipment struck one of the girders on the Airline overpass, making it unsafe for drivers. 

A spokesperson for the Department of Transportation and Development, Rodney Mallett, says the repair process took so long because the bridge was built decades ago.

"It's not as easy as repairing a guard rail or putting a sign up," Mallett said. "The idea was either we were going to have to take the bridge down or redesign that girder to fit that piece. So basically what it was like was trying to find the pieces to the puzzle and put the puzzle together."

After a long wait, construction crews are finally putting the finishing touches on the repair work and getting ready to reopen the ramps. First, they will need to shut down the roadway one more time. 

"Make plans to use an alternate route because we will be putting up those overhead signs and we will be able to open it up next week."

Drivers will need to expect a full closure of US 190 West on May 6 and 7 from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. for road work.