Work continues on I-49 north of Shreveport. About 31 miles of I-49 between Shreveport and Arkansas will open to drivers at some point in 2013.

That stretch of roadway brings opportunities to drivers. But it also presents challenges to first responders.

"Unfortunately, when you mix speed and vehicles together, you're going to have some serious crashes," said Corporal Mike Vaitkus, a crash investigator for the Caddo Parish Sheriff's Office.

"The volume of traffic that north Caddo Parish is used to is going to increase," Vaitkus said. "The volume of traffic that our patrol division is used to dealing with of course is going to increase."

Currently the Caddo Sheriff's Office only patrols a few miles of interstate, with much of I-20 and I-49 being covered by city and state authorities. So the department is training deputies on the more strict federal highway regulations that have to be followed on interstates. There are also rerouting issues that come with a new stretch of interstate.

But Vaitkus says the number one lesson is safety.

"You can't train common sense. But you do have to be able to train safe and keep people from getting complacent with what they're doing."

The entire project, about 36 miles from I-220 to the Arkansas border, is expected to be completed in 2016 at a total cost of $631 million. Construction began in 2006.

Sections A-I, from Highway 1 in Shreveport to Arkansas, will open to drivers in 2013. The exact date of completion is not known.