I-75 Closing Decision Made: Hurricane Irma Recovery

TALLAHASSEE, FL — The Florida Department of Transportation on Thursday shared some good news for the thousands of residents still trying to make their way home to the Sunshine State after Hurricane Irma’s arrival. After concerns about flooding on the Santa Fe River raised questions about the possible need to close off the busy interstate Wednesday, officials said Thursday that move will not be needed.

“As of this morning, FDOT engineers and state meteorologists do not believe that the Santa Fe River will reach a level to make the interstate unsafe,” FDOT wrote in a Thursday morning email to media.

On Wednesday, the Florida Highway Patrol said its troopers were monitoring the status of I-75 near the river after the water rose about 15 feet within 36 hours. (For more hurricane news or local news from Florida, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts and newsletters from Tampa Patch, and click here to find your local Florida Patch. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

Watch: Hurricane Irma's Destructive Journey By The Numbers

While I-75 drivers won’t encounter flood-related delays, the Santa Fe River’s status has forced other closings. The state said that “because of high water levels of the Santa Fe River, U.S. 41 and U.S. 27 remain closed.” The highways will reopen as soon as it is safe to do so, the state said.

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Evacuees still working to make their way home will find several tools available to assist them. FDOT recommends travelers check or use the following websites and apps to make their return home easier:

• Florida 511 — This 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.
• GasBuddy — You may have already heard about this website during the evacuation. Find the latest outage and fuel availability information. You can also see the prices in advance of pulling up to the pump. We recommend calling the gas station if possible to make sure that the fuel availability information is still current.
• WAZE — WAZE boasts that is the world's largest community-based traffic and navigation app. Drivers in your area share real-time traffic and road info, saving everyone time and gas money.
• The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles also recommended that evacuees with a valid Florida driver license or ID register their emergency contact information (ECI). This information will be shared with law enforcement officers in the event of an emergency.

Patch’s Paul Scicchitano contributed to this story.

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