BATON ROUGE - The delay in repairing the Airline Highway and Florida Boulevard interchange has dragged on. It was damaged by a City-Parish DPW truck and closed in May 2022.

The state says that even though the project has met several obstacles, work to replace the damaged girder is happening out of state, and construction to make repairs will start soon.

"We had to redesign that girder and all the reinforcement from scratch," said DOTD spokesman Rodney Mallett.

Once it's finished, it will be shipped to Baton Rouge. The deck—or the part that you drive on—will be removed, the girder installed, and a new deck poured. Drivers are just wondering what's been taking so long.

"It's mainly because of the design, that's because of the age of the girder and getting supplies," Mallett said. "Some of that concrete hasn't been the easiest to get for this project."

The state says the contractor is ready to work once that girder is complete and arrives, which could be by the end of February.

The City-Parish has taken responsibility for what happened. A DPW truck carrying a large piece of equipment damaged the girder, causing the closure. That piece of equipment wasn't tied down, which is why the parish is covering the bill.

"We're self-insured, whatever expenses are going to be necessary to remedy the situation, the City-Parish will be responsible for those dollars," said Director of Transportation and Drainage Fred Raiford.

It could cost anywhere from $500,000-$700,000.

The state says the work will be completed by the end of the spring, and the ramps could be open again by June.