Hurricane Irma: I-75, I-4 Heavy, But Flowing, FHP Says

BRADENTON, FL — Floridians seeking to evacuate ahead of Hurricane Irma’s projected arrival in the Sunshine State will find Interstate 75 and Interstate 4 in the Tampa Bay area flowing. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, both interstates were experiencing heavy traffic late Friday morning, but were clear with traffic flowing.

Lt. Greg Bueno of the highway patrol said traffic lanes on I-75 in southwest Florida were open with no reversible lanes operating. (For more hurricane news or local news from Florida, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts and newsletters from Bradenton Patch, and click here to find your local Florida Patch. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

“The northbound lanes are open only to traffic traveling north and southbound lanes are open only to traffic traveling south,” Bueno said.

Watch: FEMA Tells Floridians In Irma's Path To 'Get Out Now'

Motorists are asked to heed advice from their local emergency operation centers about evacuating. Those who do hit the highway should take advantage of the Florida 511 system for real-time traffic reports, or FHP’s traffic incident website, Bueno said.

• Also see: FDOT Urges Evacuees To Use Real-Time Apps

People who breakdown while trying to leave the state are asked to contact *FHP from their mobile phones.

In the Tampa area, the patrol’s Sgt. Steve Gaskins reported heavy, but flowing traffic on both Interstates 75 and 4 as of 11:20 a.m. Sept. 8.

The Florida Department of Transportation and FHP announced late Friday morning that limited emergency shoulder use is being permitted along I-75 "at Wildwood to the Georgia state line. Motorists should only use the left shoulder when directed by law enforcement and highway signs."

FDOT noted in a Friday morning email that shoulder use is only allowed on that particular stretch of I-75.

Gaskins urged people who are driving to watch for changing weather conditions. He also suggested that motorists:

• Make sure their vehicles are fueled up before hitting the road
• Carry a food and water supply for every person traveling in the party
• Have cash available
• Have a destination in mind before leaving
• Carry a map
• Exercise patience
• Avoid driving during heavy downpours
• Drive slow on wet roads
• Wear their seat belts
• Stay off roads with standing water

By 11 a.m. Sept. 8, Irma had lost some, but not much of her punch. The beast that tore through the Caribbean, leaving at least 10 people dead in her wake, had downgraded to a strong Category 4 storm, packing maximum sustained winds of 150 mph. Irma was located about 405 miles southeast of Miami, moving west-northwest at 14 mph.

Like Bradenton Patch on Facebook and keep reading below:

On its current path, Irma is expected to clear the northern Cuban coastline by Saturday and make landfall in Florida sometime Sunday morning. Forecasters say Irma’s hurricane-force winds extend out 70 miles from the center while tropical storm-force winds reach out 185 miles. Although downgraded, forecasters at the National Hurricane Center say Irma remains an “extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane.”

• See also: Hurricane Irma: Entire Tampa Bay Area Under Watch

At the National Weather Service’s Tampa Bay office in Ruskin, forecasters say Irma’s effects are likely to be felt in the region starting Saturday night. Tropical storm conditions are possible in the overnight hours Saturday while hurricane conditions are expected throughout the day Sunday and into Monday.

Image via Shutterstock