I will be travelling from Tallahassee Fl. to Austin Tx. in mid Dec. with an elderly couple. Is it OK to travel on I-10

NO NO NO
You always should take I-10 to Slidell; get I-12 to Baton Rouge and pick up I-10 again. You would do this even if I-10 in New Orleans was open

[Off-topic: I-10 between New Orleans and Slidell is now open, with single lane each direction.]

But yes, the correct route is I-10, I-12, I-10. Expect some delays. And many gas stations are still closed in Mississippi. Make sure you fuel up in Mobile, AL.

Also off-topic. The construction on I-10 just east of Beaumont is pretty bad. Narrow lanes, long backup. I highly recommend taking Exit 873 off I-10, then TX62 and then TX73 through Port Arthur to bypass Beaumont. You'll rejoin I-10 later. A few traffic lights and that's all. Add maybe 3 miles.

Also, you may want to be prepared to slow to a stop or at least crawl going over the temporary Pensacola bridge (destroyed with Ivan). May add 30 to 1hr. depending on traffic. Traveling non peak times does make a difference here.


Belle

I did not read the post carefully and realize it would be on your RETURN through Pensacola that would be most likely to cause a delay. The West bound lanes are slowed but not so much as the East bound.

Belle