Wabash Avenue closure near Cargill creates a two-stage Lafayette detour

Lafayette drivers, nearby workers and freight operators should prepare for a second scheduled closure of Wabash Avenue directly in front of the Cargill facility beginning Monday, Aug. 10, 2026.

The closure is scheduled to run from 6:30 a.m. Aug. 10 through 8 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 12. North-south through traffic will not be permitted past Cargill, while limited local access will remain available from each end of the closure.

What is happening and when

The work zone is on Wabash Avenue approximately 1,700 feet north of the Lafayette Wastewater Treatment Plant and approximately 100 feet south of Manford Street.

The city’s closure notice lists two scheduled closure windows: the first from 6:30 a.m. Monday, July 27, through 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 1, and the second from 6:30 a.m. Monday, Aug. 10, through 8 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 12.

As of Tuesday, Aug. 4, the second closure remains scheduled and upcoming.

Why Wabash Avenue is closed

The City of Lafayette says the closure is needed for construction activity at the Cargill facility. A crane will be positioned on Wabash Avenue to support the work, with barricades and closure signs used to secure the work zone.

How traffic will move

The city’s signed detour uses South Street or Columbia Street, Tapawingo Drive, South River Road, U.S. 52 and Teal Road.

Closure signs are to guide motorists north of the project near South Street and the 2nd Street-Wabash Avenue intersection, and south of the project near Teal Road and Beck Lane.

What remains accessible

This is not an all-access shutdown of the entire Wabash Avenue corridor. Through traffic cannot travel north or south past the Cargill facility during the scheduled closure, but local access will be maintained from the south to the Lafayette Wastewater Treatment Plant and from the north to Manford Street.

Drivers headed to a destination within one of those local-access sections should approach from the appropriate end and should not expect to continue through the Cargill work zone.

What drivers should plan for

Commuters, nearby employees and commercial operators who normally use Wabash Avenue as a through route should plan around the Aug. 10-12 closure and follow the posted detour. Drivers serving a destination near the work zone should pay attention to the local-access limits and approach from the correct direction.

The scheduled second closure begins Monday, Aug. 10, 2026, at 6:30 a.m. and ends Wednesday, Aug. 12, at 8 p.m. The City of Lafayette’s official closure information and Engineering & Public Works calendar should be checked for any schedule updates.

Sources

• City of Lafayette Wabash Avenue closure news release
• WLFI report on the Lafayette Wabash Avenue closure