Troopers Helping Tampa Bay Evacuees Flee East

TALLAHASSEE, FL — As Hurricane Irma’s projected path puts the Tampa Bay area in high risk, the Florida Highway Patrol is bending the rules, with permission from the state, to speed up travel along Interstate 4. The idea is to help motorists heading east toward Orlando get there a little faster.

The patrol and Florida Department of Transportation have put into place a “limited emergency shoulder use plan” for eastbound I-4, according to a media advisory from the patrol. The plan covers the section of I-4 from 50th Street in Tampa to State Road 429 in the Orlando area.

“Motorists should only use the left shoulder when directed by law enforcement and highway signs,” the patrol stressed.

The temporary bending of the rules comes as Hurricane Irma was packing maximum sustained winds of 125 mph Saturday afternoon. Irma was located about 145 southeast of Key West, moving west at 9 mph. (For more hurricane news or local news from Florida, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts and newsletters from Lakeland Patch, and click here to find your local Florida Patch. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

Irma's clash with the island nation had left the storm weakened. Even so, Irma very much remained a major hurricane, classified as a Category 3 storm. Forecasters expect Irma to retain major hurricane status when she crashes into Florida on Sunday and continues on a projected path that is expected to have potentially catastrophic impacts on Florida's west coast and the Tampa Bay area.

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While shoulder driving is being allowed on I-4, the patrol reminded motorists of these things:

• There are no one-way operations in use on Florida state road
• No other state roads have been approved for shoulder use
• Motorists are urged to use caution when driving on the shoulder
• Maximum speed on the shoulder is 40 mph
• As of Saturday afternoon, troopers said I-4 was experiencing heavy traffic, but was flowing.

Photo courtesy of the Florida Highway Patrol