I-12 reopens after police retrieve man from atop highway sign

BATON ROUGE - Traffic was at a standstill on I-12 Monday afternoon after police received reports of a man dangling from a sign above the interstate.

DOTD traffic cameras spotted the person perched atop a large highway sign above passing vehicles on I-12 near Airline Highway around 2:30 p.m. Monday. The man was seen periodically moving up and down the sign as traffic passed below, swinging from the bars of the structure along the way.

#BREAKING Police have shut down I-12 West at Airline as a man dangles from the highway sign. Take an alternate route this afternoon. pic.twitter.com/RDXJXZ5b1d — Jordan Whittington (@jwhittingtonBR) November 5, 2018

Police say the man eventually came down, and he was taken to an area hospital.

Westbound lanes of the interstate were shut down for some time Monday, and the incident has created significant traffic problems throughout the area.

It's unclear why the person climbed atop the sign in the first place.