BATON ROUGE - Construction on Oklahoma Street in Baton Rouge has been ongoing for months. Wednesday, the progress was very visible to drivers passing by on Highland Road.

A clear path of concrete could be observed, showing the route drivers will take one day when they exit I-10 at Nicholson Drive. According to DOTD, crews are in the process of building the base and laying down pavement where the interstate exit will become completely reconfigured. 

"Instead of getting off at Terrace you can go down to Oklahoma Street," said Rodney Mallett, a spokesperson for DOTD.

Project plans call for the removal of the current ramp at Terrace Avenue and extending the ramp to Oklahoma Street. It's part of a plan to increase efficiency for drivers, regardless of where they are headed. 

"You'll see secondary benefits on LSU game days or something where people are looking to get to the campus or they're looking to get downtown to the River Center," Mallett said. 

Mallett says the city has been adamant about the $18 million MOVEBR project since 2018. Sidewalks will be added to Nicholson Drive and Oklahoma Street, and Nicholson will be re-paved to the gates of LSU. 

However, because of the raised median that will be added between the exit lane and Highland Road, access to Terrace Ave. from Highland Road will be lost. 

"If you want to get to Terrace you get off or come down Highland, take a right at Oklahoma, then take a right onto Nicholson and then you will be able to get onto Terrace," Mallett said.

Mallett says the current plan is to have all of this done by the beginning of 2024. The project completion date has already been extended by about two months due to weather-related issues. 

You can view more information about the project here.