Westlake's Exit 27 Detour Is Scheduled to End. The Bridge Project's Longer Changes Are Still Ahead.

"We're just hoping that again, drivers just pay attention to all of the signs and signals and sirens and all those things so that they don't, this doesn't happen again, basically." DOTD spokesperson John Guidroz said that in August, while workers put up the sixth crash bar on the I-10 West detour road in Westlake. Since late summer 2025, anyone heading west from Sampson Street has driven under that bar, and it has become one of the most talked-about pieces of road in Southwest Louisiana.

DOTD notices dated Sept. 30, 2026 schedule work for this week that would reopen the Exit 27 ramps. For most Westlake drivers that will feel like the end of the bridge project. It is really the end of the first and shortest restriction. The I-10 Calcasieu River Bridge replacement runs from Ryan Street in Lake Charles to the I-210/I-10 interchange in Westlake. The next phases bring changes that last longer and reach further into the streets Westlake uses every day.

Thirteen Months Under a 12-Foot Bar

The detour started on Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025. If you're going from Sampson Street to I-10 West, you go south on Sampson under the interstate, turn right onto South Frontage Road, then turn right onto a temporary access road that merges onto westbound I-10. That access road is where the bar sits, and its clearance is 12 feet.

The bar's record says a lot about how the detour went:

• The first bar was installed in September 2025. Replacements followed on Sept. 11, 2025, at $76,630; Sept. 23, 2025, at $84,274; and Jan. 13, 2026, at $65,961. That adds up to $226,865 for the first three, about $75,000 each.
• DOTD covers each replacement up front and then works to get the money back through legal and insurance processes.
• On Feb. 4, crews added rumble strips, better signage, stop signs and a 119-decibel siren that goes off when a truck approaches.
• On May 21, Westlake Police announced that 18-wheelers, box trucks, dump trucks and other vehicles tall enough to hit the beam were barred from the detour road. Regular traffic could still use it.
• By Aug. 6, DOTD counted at least 30 vehicles that had hit the bar. The unofficial "magnet" count stood at 38.

The strikes kept coming after the warnings went up. In August, a truck pulling heavy machinery hit the bar even though the alarms, flashing lights and sirens all worked as designed. An RV and a concrete truck also got caught under it. On Sept. 14, a DOTD truck wedged its boom under the bar, according to photos shared by Westlake Police Chief Chris Wilrye.

DOTD explained in August why it didn't just close the access road. Without it, every driver, including people in ordinary passenger cars, would have to go east over the bridge and loop back. That would add traffic at the eastbound on-ramps.

What the Sept. 30 Notices Actually Schedule

DOTD posted two notices that afternoon:

1. Monday, Oct. 5 through Thursday, Oct. 8, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily: the southbound right lane of LA 378, which is Sampson Street, closes from the Union Pacific tracks to the South Service Road. The contractor will finish asphalt work and paint pavement markings "to reopen entrance and exit ramps at Exit 27 (Westlake)." The work depends on the weather.
2. 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 7 to 7 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 8: the right lane of I-10 westbound closes from Milepost 27 to Milepost 29.5, including the bridge, so crews can remove detour signs and barrier rail and reopen the westbound exit ramp at Exit 27.

These are schedules. They don't confirm the work is finished. They also differ from what KPLC reported earlier. On Aug. 6, DOTD expected the official Westlake on-ramp to open "around late October." On Sept. 14, KPLC said the detour was expected to stay in place at least through the end of the year. The Sept. 30 notices are the newest official word. Still, a rain delay this week could push things back, so check before you count on the new ramps.

Weather has already changed plans in Westlake this month. The City of Westlake canceled the 4th Annual West Fest at Pinederosa Park, set for Saturday, Oct. 3, because of a high chance of bad weather. Its announcement ended, "We love our city and we will see you next year."

The Loops That Go Away if the Ramps Reopen

The detour added a different workaround depending on where you were headed. The table shows the routes drivers have been using. If the work finishes as scheduled, the reopened Exit 27 ramps are meant to replace them.

The second row is the one most people forget about. Since late summer 2025, anyone coming home westbound to Sampson has had to get off one exit early, go back east and come in from the other side. When the westbound exit ramp at Exit 27 reopens, that loop through PPG Drive is no longer needed.

The Next Restriction Runs Through October 2027

While Exit 27 wraps up, another restriction has already started a few miles west. Since Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, the I-210 West flyover ramp to I-10 West has been down to one lane, and DOTD expects that to last through October 2027. The left lane of I-210 West approaching the flyover has an 11-foot width restriction. DOTD's suggested alternative is to stay in the right lane of I-210 West, take Exit 1B to I-10 East, then get off at Exit 26/PPG Drive. Crews are building a new I-210 West to I-10 West flyover.

The bar on Sampson Street lasted about thirteen months. The flyover restriction is planned for about thirteen months too, so the bridge project's first year of daily friction is being followed by a second.

Some shorter work this fall overlaps with it:

• Westbound I-10, right lane between Mileposts 26 and 25: nightly closures from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. through Thursday, Oct. 15. The ramps stay open during this work.
• Eastbound I-10, right lane between Mileposts 25 and 26: nightly closures from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. through Friday, Oct. 30, for road widening and temporary barrier installation.
• I-10 shoulders and nearby service-road shoulders: intermittent shoulder closures from Oct. 4 through Nov. 4. DOTD says the work stays on the shoulders and won't slow traffic.

Late 2028 Is the Date to Write Down

The change that will affect Westlake's local streets the most comes later. KPLC reported in March that Sampson Street will close from Sulphur Avenue to I-10 for 18 months starting in late 2028. That closure is for building an overpass that will carry local traffic over the railroad tracks.

The Exit 27 detour moved people around one ramp while Sampson stayed open. The 2028 closure takes out the stretch of Sampson those detour routes depended on, and it is planned to last longer than this detour has so far.

The bigger timeline puts these pieces in order. The groundbreaking was on April 29, 2026. Officials are aiming to open the new bridge to traffic in the fourth quarter of 2030, with tolling starting in 2031. The project's own FAQ expects all construction to be done in 2031.

Where to Check Before You Pull Out of the Driveway

The project and DOTD each have their own channels, and their schedules have changed more than once this year, so it helps to watch both. DOTD sends drivers to 511LA and the Louisiana 511 mobile app. You can also call 511. The project's traffic updates page links to Google Maps, Apple Maps, MapQuest and Waze. There's also an email signup for project updates and the Bridge Bulletin on the project site.

For the Sampson Street overpass, the most detailed public material is the set of exhibits from the July 21, 2026 public meeting. They cover the I-210 interchange, PPG Drive and the Sampson Street overpass. The project's contact form takes questions. The contact page doesn't list a walk-in office.

If the bridge schedule is part of how you're thinking about your Westlake home between now and 2031, whether you plan to stay, sell before the Sampson Street closure or hold for the new bridge, Reign Realty is happy to talk it through with you. We follow these timelines closely, and we'll give you a straight local answer. Work With Us.