The best-case scenario for resuming traffic along Interstate 10 at the San Jacinto River has cars and trucks crossing the bridge next week, according to transportation officials.

Reopening the freeway, however, will come with many caveats. Drivers can expect some level of delay because those best-case options likely mean the normally eight-lane freeway will be half that size — two lanes in each direction along a shared span.

The freeway has been closed at the river since midnight Friday when at least two barges slammed into the columns supporting the bridges — one for each direction of travel along I-10. Divers finally were able to enter the water Monday, giving officials their first in-depth look at the damage, said Emily Black, spokeswoman for the Texas Department of Transportation’s Houston office.

Early assessment is that the westbound span took the brunt of damage and likely will need timely and costly repair work. Black said it is possible large sections of the bridge will need to be replaced, including support columns, construction that could take months.

“We haven’t finalized anything, but it appears to be significant,” Black said of the damage.

In the meantime, officials are planning to shift traffic in both directions to the eastbound span, provided it is safe to use as initial inspections indicated. Black said setting up the freeway so westbound and eastbound travelers share a bridge is expected to take a few days as officials design and then build the new configuration.

Crews will need to cut a path through the existing concrete wall between the eastbound and westbound lanes and restripe the bridge for four 11-foot lanes — two in each direction — before reopening the freeway.

Black said whatever temporary plan is used, it is likely that is what drivers will use for months as the more substantive work happens on the westbound side. State officials will pursue damages from the barge owners and operators for the damage, caused when nine barges broke free of their moorings and floated downriver.

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Six made it beneath the bridge unscathed. Two of the barges, owned by Canal Barge Company and loaded with chemicals, became wedged on the bridge columns. A third barge carrying lube oil was grounded on the San Jacinto Waste Pits Superfund Site.

That barge was off-loaded and moved from the Superfund site Monday morning, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. None of the cargo spilled, officials said, and no public health issues were identified.

Until I-10 reopens, officials have urged drivers to use Texas 146 and Texas 225 south of the freeway to bypass the area. Tolls have been waived along the eastern segment of the Sam Houston Tollway across the Ship Channel Bridge and the Grand Parkway from I-10 to Fisher Road in Chambers County.

dug.begley@chron.com