The I-10 Westlake crash bar has been replaced five times. Here’s what it’s costing taxpayers.

WESTLAKE, La. (KPLC) - If you’ve driven through the I-10 construction zone in Westlake, you’ve probably seen it or heard about it. The crash bar protecting the new bridge construction detour has become one of the most talked-about traffic fixtures in Southwest Louisiana. On Wednesday, workers started putting up the sixth one.

That’s five replacements since the detour opened.

The latest incident happened Saturday, when a piece of heavy machinery being pulled by a truck struck the bar, triggering alarms, flashing lights and sirens, all of which went off as designed, according to DOTD. The driver hit it anyway.

What Has This Cost?

KPLC has been asking questions about the cost of these repeated replacements for months. On Wednesday, DOTD spokesperson John Guidroz provided figures for the first three incidents:

• Sept. 11, 2025 — $76,630
• Sept. 23, 2025 — $84,274
• Jan. 13, 2026 — $65,961

That’s a combined $226,865 for just the first three replacements, averaging about $75,000 per incident.

Cost figures for the fourth and fifth replacements, including Wednesday’s, are not yet available. Guidroz said the May replacement could cost more than the first three due to additional improvements made to the bar’s design.

Guidroz also said that at least 30 vehicles have struck the bar since the detour opened, though not every impact required a full replacement. The unofficial “magnet” count right now sits at 38.

Who Pays?

DOTD covers the cost of each replacement and then works to recoup the funds.

“There is money that DOTD pays to have that replaced. And then there is a process whereby DOTD gets that money recouped through legal processes and insurance processes,” Guidroz said.

Why Not Just Close It?

It’s the question everyone on social media keeps asking: Why not shut the intersection down entirely and reroute all traffic over the Calcasieu Bridge?

Guidroz said that would create a different problem.

“Everybody would be having to go eastbound over the bridge. That could, that’s going to cause additional traffic, people trying to get onto the bridge going eastbound,” he said.

DOTD says the westbound detour route exists to give drivers under the 12-foot height restriction a quicker path to I-10 West. Closing it would force everyone, including passenger vehicles. to make the longer trip over the bridge and back around.

For drivers in oversized or overheight vehicles, DOTD’s message is simple: if you have any doubt about your vehicle’s height, take the alternate route east over the Calcasieu Bridge.

What’s Next?

The sixth crash bar was expected to be back in place Wednesday afternoon. Once reopened, the detour will operate as it has for nearly a year.

As for the bigger picture, DOTD says the official I-10 on-ramp in Westlake is expected to open around late October, which would eliminate the need for the detour altogether.

Until then, Guidroz said the agency is hoping drivers simply pay attention.

“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.”