This daytrip is from Biloxi, MS to New Orleans, LA and back on September 16, 2001.

Had duty today, and as part of that, had to drive someone from Keesler AFB to New Orleans Int'l airport (in a government vehicle, no less).  So, in effect, I got to go "roadtripping" today.

Not much in the way of notes, but here's some from I-10:

- Bridge piers and now some of the concrete I-beams are going up on the west side of the Jourdan River. For those who don't know, MDOT is widening I-10 between Exit 13 and Exit 16, which includes rebuilding the Jourdan River bridge.

- Maybe it's just me, but it seems like the I-10/12/59 junction has new BGS every time I drive past, whether they're really new or not...

- VMS and orange construction signs stating that the US 11 Lake Pontchartrain bridge was open to vehicles under 15 tons.

- WB I-10 LA shield spotted somewhere near US 90 (east of the Industrial Canal).

- Construction is completed at I-10/I-610, and the new interchange is NICE. The merge westbound seems to flow very smoothly, as you have all the way to Causeway Blvd before you finally have to merge to stay on WB I-10. EB didn't get much, except for a brief spat of 5 lanes just before the split. Now if only LA DOTD could expedite widening/rebuilding I-10 west of there.

- Construction at the I-10/LA 49 interchange...couldn't tell what was immediately being worked on.

- Some sort of construction on the airport connector road between I-10 and the terminal. The connector is normally 4-lanes undivided, but because of construction was reduced to 2 lanes and a 25 MPH speed limit.

- Spotted from an overpass that Veterans Blvd was being widened east of LA 49 for a distance.

- The airport connector road to EB I-10 ramp parallels the EB I-10 mainline for about a half mile before merging.

- Spotted 3 different types of font for I-610 shields.

- No END I-610 shields/signs in either direction.

- LA DOTD needs to do something abouth the pavement condition on I-10 between I-510 and I-12/59. Too many ruts/holes/dips for concrete.

- EB I-10 LA shield spotted east of I-12/59 (1st reassurance marker past the merge)

- Concrete blockers at all gates at Keesler AFB (similar to Jersey bariers, but taller). The two gates that are open require incoming drives to weave left, then right, then left again before coming to the actual gate. Outgoing drives are also reduced to a single lane. I'm usually coming in early enough to not see much traffic, but I can imagine this causes headaches during rush hour at the main gate which probably back up the local Biloxi street (White Ave) clear back to US 90 (1/4 mile south). The railroad's (CSX's main Coast line...15-20 trains a day...also used by Amtrak) proximity to the main gate complicates things even in normal "peacetime", let alone now.

I have yet to get to the Seabee base to see how things are set up there.

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