Louisiana I-10 Traffic Diverted Saturday Ahead of Implosion

Motorists who use Louisiana's southern transportation artery, Interstate 10, to travel east and west across the state might need to build a little extra time into their travel plans for Saturday morning. Louisiana State Police will be diverting traffic off of that major thoroughfare around a massive building implosion.

Another reason an I-10 traveler might want to cushion their schedule is the anticipated traffic that is expected to converge on the implosion site to watch the show. The implosion itself is expected to only take seconds but in the interest of safety, motorists will be rerouted around the implosion zone well before the command to "fire" is given.

The building that is being imploded has been a fixture of the Lake Charles, Louisiana skyline for more than 40 years. Construction began on the building in 1981. It was known as the Calcasieu Marine National Bank Tower or CM Tower for short it soon became the "calling card" for the city of Lake Charles.

The tower stands some 26 stories high and has space on 22 floors. It offered some 400,000 square feet of space and the campus around the building covered approximately four acres. The building has been a focal point for high-end dining and many Mardi Gras and wedding celebrations too. But that was then and this is now.

Officials in Lake Charles anticipate the entire structure will be turned into rubble in a matter of seconds once the command to fire has been given at 8 am on Saturday.

The reason for the razing of the tower is pretty obvious. The damage from Hurricane Laura in 2020 was extensive and expansive. The current managers of the property Hertz Investment Group had plans to repair and rehabilitate the property. Then decided to attempt to sell the property. When no buyers were found the decision to demolish the structure was made and that brings us to the planned implosion on Saturday.

The area in red is the "exclusion zone" that will be enforced before, during, and immediately after the implosion. For answers to frequently asked questions about the "zone" and the planned implosion, the City of Lake Charles has the answers here. 

Louisiana State Police will divert traffic from I-10 onto I-210 in Lake Charles on Saturday morning. That diversion will continue until the all-clear is given in the implosion zone. Access to that implosion zone will be greatly curtailed and restricted by law enforcement. For specific details on what parts of Lake Charles are in the implosion zone and what precautions need to be taken, you'll find that here. 

Those who want to view the implosion in person must watch from an area outside the implosion zone. The demolition of the building will also be televised and made available via online platforms too.