BATON ROUGE - Louisiana State Police announced alternate routes for people entering and leaving Ponchatoula for the Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival from April 11 to April 13.

According to officials, people coming in from Baton Rouge need to exit Interstate 12 eastbound at Pumpkin Center exit #35, proceed south to La. 22, then continue east on La. 22 into Ponchatoula. For those coming from New Orleans, they are advised to take the Causeway Bridge into Mandeville and proceed to La. 22 west into Ponchatoula.

People coming in from Slidell or Covington should exit I-12 Westbound at La. 445 exit #47, proceed south to La. 22, then continue west on La. 22 into Ponchatoula, while people coming in from Mandeville can just take La. 22 into Ponchatoula.

With 300,000 visitors expected, officials said to take the following precautions when heading to the festival:
- Do not drive distracted;
- Plan a safe way home before the festivities begin;
- Before drinking, please designate a sober driver and give that person your keys;
- If you're impaired, call a taxi, ride-share service, or a sober friend/family member for a safe ride home;
- If you encounter a suspected impaired driver on the road, don't hesitate to contact your local law enforcement;
- If you know someone is about to drive while impaired, take their keys and help them make other arrangements to get to where they are going safely;
- Always buckle up. The proper use of seatbelts continues to be the single most effective precaution one can take to greatly reduce the chance of being seriously injured or killed in the event of a crash.