Hurricane Irma Aftermath: Some Florida State Roads Closed

SARASOTA, FL — Motorists may want to check on the status of the roads they use in their commutes before heading out. The Florida Department of Transportation on Friday announced that several state roads are still either fully or partially closed due to Hurricane Irma-related impacts.

FDOT spokesman Zachary Burch reported that Sarasota’s State Road 780 was closed eastbound at Bearded Oaks in Sarasota. The closing affects one lane and is due to a depression in the roadway. (For more hurricane news or local news from Florida, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts and newsletters from Sarasota Patch. Click here to find your local Florida Patch. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

Two sections of State Road 31 were completely closed on Friday. Burch said the S.R. 31 closings were in Punta Gorda and Arcadia. Both closings were prompted by flooding.

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High water has also forced the closing of State Road 72 in the Arcadia area. That closing impacts both directions.

Westbound State Road 70 was also closed in Arcadia Friday due to erosion.

It is unclear how long the closings will last.

Folks hoping to check their routes before they head out may find the following tools useful:

• Florida 511 — This FDOT website includes regular updates on road closures and actual photographs of current road conditions. Officials say that there are a number of closures due to Hurricane Irma. You can view these on the website map by selecting "closures" in the map legend. The site also contains links to closures by region.
• Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles— You'll find live traffic crash reports as well as information on road closures.
• Google Maps — The folks at Google provide helpful real-time conditions on road speed and the best routes to take to your destination. Green means that traffic is moving at a normal speed.
• Florida Highway Patrol Traffic Feed — Florida Highway Patrol provides live traffic crash and road conditions.

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