I-10 flyover westbound ramp to MSY at Loyola Dr. to open this Friday

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One long-delayed New Orleans airport "flight" is finally set to take off.

Starting Friday, drivers headed to Louis Armstrong International Airport from New Orleans, Metairie and points east will finally be able to use the long-anticipated "flyover" off westbound I-10, a direct shot to the airport that will allow drivers to skip the gauntlet of intersections and stoplights off the Loyola Drive exit that they have had to navigate since the new terminal opened in November 2019.

This week's opening of the dedicated interstate exit heralds perhaps more good news: The eastbound flyover that will allow drivers leaving the airport to get on I-10 toward New Orleans is expected to open in a few weeks, according to Daniel Gitlin, a spokesperson for the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development.

And a few weeks after that, the "Divergent Diamond Interchange" that should speed traffic getting on westbound I-10 should open as well.

The openings come almost four years after the project that necessitated the new exits and roads -- a glossy, $1.3 billion terminal at the airport -- opened for business. Started in 2020, the $125-million roadway project was originally expected to be completed in 2022. It was delayed by Hurricane Ida in 2021, as well as supply chain slowdowns, officials said.

The opening "is a great accomplishment and will be helpful to many travelers of this corridor," DOTD Secretary Eric Kalivoda said in a statement Tuesday. "We look forward to opening the second ramp in the near future."

The lag between the opening of new airport terminal and the completion of the dedicated highway access to it had been a source of frustration for many. And earlier this year, highway department officials said it would be next year before the flyovers were opened.

But the state's long run of very dry weather has allowed contractors to complete the work more quickly than they expected, Gitlin said.

Currently, drivers headed to the airport from New Orleans on I-10 must exit at Loyola Drive and then go through a number of stoplights and intersections before entering the airport campus and making their way to a parking area. The flyover will reduce congestion on I-10, Gitlin said.

The eastbound flyover, when opened, will allow drivers to go directly from the the airport entrance road onto I-10 toward New Orleans. Drivers now must pass through a stoplight on Veterans Memorial Boulevard before getting to an entrance to I-10 toward New Orleans.

Once the two ramps are opened, they will take traffic from the existing four lanes of east- and westbound I-10, lessening congestion, DOTD said in a release.

Kenner Police Chief Keith Conley welcomed Tuesday's news, noting that the flyovers should reduce traffic on surrounding streets significantly.

"We have a lot of congestion and accidents up there," he said. "It's going to relieve a lot of stress and congestion on the surface streets."

The divergent diamond interchange, one of just about 150 across the U.S., will hopefully ease traffic leaving the airport and heading west on I-10 by making it safer and more direct for cars going under the I-10 overpass to the westbound entrance ramp.

When opened, traffic in both directions on Loyola will be shifted to the left to make exiting and entering the interstate easier. Two criss-cross intersections governed by traffic lights will control the diversion, according to diagrams provided by DOTD.

Conley had a few more reservations about the divergent diamond -- mostly about how motorists will respond to it.

"I think that's new in this area," he said. "We are going to see how that works."

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