Florida Hurricane Highway Travel

Started by edwaleni, September 06, 2017, 10:08:09 PM

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edwaleni

Florida Turnpike and I-95 seeing bumper to bumper traffic on the northbound sides from West Palm Beach all the way to Kissimmee and Melbourne (I-95).

Florida finally relieved the system of all tolls this afternoon as the Kissimmee Toll Booth backup ran for nearly 8 miles.

Another problem spot is the Turnpike merge with I-75 NW of Tampa.

More backups occurring on US-441 at Yeehaw Junction, as people bypassed the tollroad out of Miami and Okeechobee trying to get back on.

I-75 Northbound is suffering from periodic congestion stop and goes between Ocala and Lake City as a band of t-storms force people on the brakes.

I-75 at Valdosta Georgia is reporting high traffic volumes between GA-31 and GA-133 as more Floridians more farther NW.  Even Hahira, Georgia is reporting lines at their gas stations on the I-75/US-41 exit.

At the moment I-95 appears to be fluid north of Daytona Beach  all the way to Savannah.  Anyone using I-95 should be warned that it is under major construction through downtown Jacksonville (Overland Bridge) and on the East Beltway (FL-9B and I-295)

Those wanting unfettered pass through of the Jacksonville Metro should use the West Beltway.  Also don't forget FDOT closes the Dames Point (Broward) Bridge (I-295E), the Fuller Warren (I-95) and the Buckman Bridge (I-295W) when wind gusts exceed 45mph.  Typically the Dames Point closes first due to its height. The Main Street (Alsop) Bridge closes last (US-17)

FDOT was out in force today lowering all of the lights on the poles along I-95 and I-295 in anticipation of the high winds.  One should expect dark territory over exit ramps the next few days if driving at night.

Alternate routes to exit Florida are US-19/98 via Perry. US-27 NW out of Gainesville. US-301 from Gainesville to the NE. US-441 north out of Lake City.  US-23 NW out of Jacksonville to Waycross.

I-10 West is open all the way from Jacksonville to Mobile with no constraints.

As the cone for Irma closes in the next few days look for northbound traffic on the turnpike and I-75 to increase dramatically.  I-10 west traffic should increase notably on Saturday, though FDOT has not said yet if they will go to unidirectional travel.



Max Rockatansky

Any reports on US 27 north out of Miami to I-4?  That might make for a handy alternate through the boons to get a good way northward towards Georgia.

edwaleni

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on September 06, 2017, 10:45:50 PM
Any reports on US 27 north out of Miami to I-4?  That might make for a handy alternate through the boons to get a good way northward towards Georgia.

No issues thus far.  It appears the jam ups start at West Palm Beach going north.

My guess is the money folks are leaving now since the schools are closed tomorrow. Orlando area hotels are showing excellent mid-week bookings for this time of the year.

The working folk have to stick around another day or two and then we should see some traffic on US27, US98 and US41.

Just found out I-10W is closed between FL-59 to US-90 east of Tallahassee for paving work.  FDOT says they will be done by midnight tonight.  I hope so, because its going to get really busy this weekend.

edwaleni

Florida Turnpike is now congested from West Palm all the way to Ocala.

I-75 has heavy traffic to Valdosta and again from Macon to Atlanta.

Atlanta is reporting hotel rooms are getting hard to locate as people from Florida, Georgia and SC coasts move inland.

I-95 northbound is showing heavy traffic north of I-4 all the way to Jacksonville.

Expect even larger traffic issues as the day progresses.

1995hoo

Thanks for that info. Our relatives all decided to stay put and I guess in light of your info I sort of understand why. My brother-in-law's wife in Pembroke Pines said (a) since she works for a hospital she feels like she should stay and (b) the insane traffic plus the lack of available gas had her concerned about not getting anywhere, to the point where she feels safer at home than stuck on the road.
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

Max Rockatansky

Quote from: 1995hoo on September 07, 2017, 09:39:05 AM
Thanks for that info. Our relatives all decided to stay put and I guess in light of your info I sort of understand why. My brother-in-law's wife in Pembroke Pines said (a) since she works for a hospital she feels like she should stay and (b) the insane traffic plus the lack of available gas had her concerned about not getting anywhere, to the point where she feels safer at home than stuck on the road.

I got some family in Naples and Tampa that are staying.  They both got about 30-50 feet above sea level and are a good ways inland. My brother-in-law's new garage is supposed to be able to stand up to CAT5 winds, so I'm to understand that is where the Tampa crew will be hanging out.  Looks as of last night the more likely track of the storm was up the Atlantic coast side of the state, we will see if that maintains. 

SP Cook

Gov. is on TV now.   Told everybody to GTFO of the keys, but also people in mainland Florida need to pay attention to pre-planed zone maps and to evacuate only locally, no need to leave the state.

This is an unusual storm.  Usually storms are going E-W or W-E in Florida and thus one can go N-S a 100 miles or so and avoid the issue.    This one is going along the coast perhaps as N as NC, getting totally out of the path would involve 100s of mile travel inland.  That is not realistic.

That said, if I lived there and had the resources, I would catch the next plane to about anywhere and ride it out at a Motel 6.


1995hoo

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on September 07, 2017, 09:48:28 AM
Quote from: 1995hoo on September 07, 2017, 09:39:05 AM
Thanks for that info. Our relatives all decided to stay put and I guess in light of your info I sort of understand why. My brother-in-law's wife in Pembroke Pines said (a) since she works for a hospital she feels like she should stay and (b) the insane traffic plus the lack of available gas had her concerned about not getting anywhere, to the point where she feels safer at home than stuck on the road.

I got some family in Naples and Tampa that are staying.  They both got about 30-50 feet above sea level and are a good ways inland. My brother-in-law's new garage is supposed to be able to stand up to CAT5 winds, so I'm to understand that is where the Tampa crew will be hanging out.  Looks as of last night the more likely track of the storm was up the Atlantic coast side of the state, we will see if that maintains. 

Yeah, we also have relatives in Fort Myers who are staying for similar reasons. I thought the ones in Pembroke Pines should head west for a visit!
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

edwaleni

Florida Turnpike is now full all the way from Boyton Beach to Ocala. I-75 is full all the way from the Tollway merge to north of Valdosta.

I-75 is continues to be full from Unadilla, Georgia all the way through Macon and into Atlanta.

I-95 is beginning to back up south of Jacksonville to Palm Coast.  Beware that while the construction zones on I-95 and I-295 in Jax were shut down last night, lane closures are still in effect and are causing some delays downtown and north by the airport.

Sporadic congestion on I-95 north of Jacksonville to Brunswick, GA, with clear running until Savannah. I-95 north of Savannah is starting to grow quickly after the new NHC cone chart came out 2 hours ago.  More backups occurring on I-95 north of Walterboro, SC to the I-26 ramps.

I-10 West is showing all clear from Jacksonville to Mobile. The repave zone was opened early this AM and there are no detours.

US41 and US98 are showing heavy traffic near Hernando and Crystal River as people from Tampa attempt to avoid the backups on I-75.

Dunnellon, Williston, Fanning Springs and Chieftain all showing heavy traffic in their areas due to high volumes on the 2 lane roads.

There is currently a 3 mile backup on US98 to get into Perry, FL.

Max Rockatansky

Looks like US 129 is still pretty clear from most of the traffic maps I've seen.  Might be a decent alternate to at least get out of the state if you don't want to stick on US 27/98.

formulanone

#10
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on September 06, 2017, 10:45:50 PM
Any reports on US 27 north out of Miami to I-4?  That might make for a handy alternate through the boons to get a good way northward towards Georgia.

I did that yesterday; was on a project in Miami and couldn't fly back out of MIA and connect back to HSV (through Detroit!), but though Orlando instead. US 27 had some more vehicles than I'd usually seen, but it's also been about 7 years since the last time I took 'ol "Bloody 27" that far north.

FL 836, FL 826, I-75, US 27, CR 827, US 441, FL 729, US 441, CR 15A, FL 710, US 441, US 192, CR 15, CR 530 to the airport. Gas wasn't a big deal once you left South Florida, but I waited about 10 minutes for a spot in Okeechobee, mostly because some folks were also filling jerry cans. Was able to fill up near MCO without difficulty.

This was a case where I knew the roads, but I used the GPS to gauge traffic conditions. Turnpike and I-95 had delays, but my route claimed to only take another 10 minutes or so. About 45 minutes from the airport, the Google Maps voice warned me that there would be another 25 minutes of delays, so I was right*. I also figured surface roads would offer more opportunities to take shortcuts and bypasses, as well as spot gas stations. When the Turnpike gets crowded, it's less than ideal...there's times I've trundled around on that route at 45-55 mph for hours due to many erratic brakers/tailgaters, and that's just extremely frustrating.

Publixes did have lines outside the doors at a few locations!


* Usually, I take these roads knowing I won't really save time, just for a change of scenery and some relaxation.

Quote from: SP Cook on September 07, 2017, 10:02:34 AM
Gov. is on TV now.   Told everybody to GTFO of the keys, but also people in mainland Florida need to pay attention to pre-planed zone maps and to evacuate only locally, no need to leave the state.

Usually, the mandatory evacuations are east of A1A for Category 1-2, and for nearly everyone east of US 1 for Category 3-5 hurricanes. Monroe County is almost always the first to evacuate, since it's essentially all islands (probably 100 people live in Mainland Monroe), and it gives time for as many as possible to take the one route out of there.

Everyone else just has to put a lot of faith in their local building codes.

Max Rockatansky

Quote from: formulanone on September 07, 2017, 12:30:58 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on September 06, 2017, 10:45:50 PM
Any reports on US 27 north out of Miami to I-4?  That might make for a handy alternate through the boons to get a good way northward towards Georgia.

I did that yesterday; was on a project in Miami and couldn't fly back out of MIA and connect back to HSV, but though Orlando instead.

FL 836, FL 826, I-75, US 27, CR 827, US 441, FL 729, US 441, CR 15A, FL 710, US 441, US 192, CR 15, CR 530 to the airport. Gas wasn't a big deal once you left South Florida, but I waited about 10 minutes for a spot in Okeechobee, mostly because some folks were also filling jerry cans. Was able to fill up near MCO without difficulty. US 27 had some more vehicles (that weren't trucks) than I'd usually seen, but it's also been about 7 years since taking 'ol Bloody 27 that far north.

This was a case where I knew the roads, but I used the GPS to gauge traffic conditions. Turnpike and I-95 had delays, but my route claimed to only take another 10 minutes or so. I also figured surface roads would offer more opportunities to take shortcuts and bypasses, as well as spot gas stations.

Publixes did have lines outside the doors at a few locations!

Funny what you described is essentially the back door route I took from Orlando and Miami when I lived by OIA.  About the only problem spot I could think of is the junction of US 441 and FL 60 which was already mentioned as getting backed up.  Looks like traffic reports have FL 19 clear to US 17, might be a good alternate for folks out Orlando to reach Jacksonville. 

1995hoo

Google Maps shows a dark red line essentially from Miami to Valdosta. Wow.
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

formulanone

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on September 07, 2017, 12:41:18 PMAbout the only problem spot I could think of is the junction of US 441 and FL 60 which was already mentioned as getting backed up.

They actually have a traffic light at Yeehaw Junction now, which surprised me. That used to be a four-way stop with red flashers all away around. There was a little backup at 60 and 441, but other than a stop light or two in Belle Glade and Okeechobee, that was pretty much it until hitting Saint Cloud.

Looking at traffic right now, it seems my route is still quite green.

Max Rockatansky

Quote from: formulanone on September 07, 2017, 12:52:27 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on September 07, 2017, 12:41:18 PMAbout the only problem spot I could think of is the junction of US 441 and FL 60 which was already mentioned as getting backed up.

They actually have a traffic light at Yeehaw Junction now, which surprised me. That used to be a four-way stop with red flashers all away around.

There was a little backup, but other than a stop light or two in Belle Glade and Okeechobee, that was pretty much it until hitting Saint Cloud.

Yeah that stop sign at 60 was way over due to be replaced.  The traffic using 60 access the Turnpikes is way more than probably most people would expect for that far out in the middle of nowhere.  441 north of Yeehaw might be one of the loneliest stretches of US Route on the east coast.  15 isn't bad but it does a ton of traffic lights given the recent sprawl from Orlando southeast from the Airport. 

edwaleni

Backups are starting to appear at Lakeland, Haines City, Sebring on the Miami exit alternate routes.

US-441 is showing traffic around Kenansville and then farther up in Leesburg.

I-95 south of Daytona is turning in a real mess.  3 accidents is causing a large backup going north.  4 crashes alone north between Daytona and St Augustine.

The traffic jam is growing north of Savannah on I-95.  I-26 between Charleston up to Columbia is getting full around Orangeburg as people in SC work up the elevation.

I-16 is starting to see some backups between Savannah and Macon, but north of Macon to Atlanta is not recommended. Very crowded.

I-75 is starting to show backups south of Chattanooga, TN as people move farther north from Atlanta. (no hotels)

Mergingtraffic

When would they use contra-flow? I mean, wouldn't this be the time?
I only take pics of good looking signs. Long live non-reflective button copy!
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Eth

Quote from: Mergingtraffic on September 07, 2017, 07:19:43 PM
When would they use contra-flow? I mean, wouldn't this be the time?

I can't speak for Florida, but in the case of I-16, it starts at 8 AM Saturday (source: AJC).

Max Rockatansky

Quote from: Eth on September 07, 2017, 07:31:58 PM
Quote from: Mergingtraffic on September 07, 2017, 07:19:43 PM
When would they use contra-flow? I mean, wouldn't this be the time?

I can't speak for Florida, but in the case of I-16, it starts at 8 AM Saturday (source: AJC).

Word was that was supposed to start ok US 1 relatively soon in the Keys. 

edwaleni

St Johns County announced mandatory evacs in Area 1 and 2 starting Saturday AM. This includes all of St Augustine City, everything east of US 1.

Look for heavy traffic on FL-16 west, especially at the Shands Bridge, which is 2 lanes only.

This is an issue for exit travel for eastern Florida above Sanford.  One has to plan ahead on the bridge they are going to use.

Deland (FL-44), Astor (FL-40), Palatka (US-17), Green Cove (Shands), Duval (Buckman, Acosta, Alsop, Hart, Mathews, Dames Point)

Only 10 bridges covering 200 miles of river.

jeffandnicole

#20
Quote from: Mergingtraffic on September 07, 2017, 07:19:43 PM
When would they use contra-flow? I mean, wouldn't this be the time?

No, because business will still need to be conducted Friday, and most of Saturday will be dry.

If the hurricane was within 24 hours during the week, they'd switch to contra-flow on a weekday.  But absent of that, there's plenty of time in this storm to wait until the weekend.

jwolfer

I just drove tonite from Orlando to Jax..  I-4 to I-95 heavy traffic but moving at 65-70 mph.  Turnpike and 75 were a mess on Waze.

I have enjoyed no tolls most of the week

LGMS428


edwaleni

Reports of 18-20 hours to reach Atlanta due to traffic are all over the news.

The biggest problems appear to be the lines forming to exit for gas taking up the shoulders and right lanes.

Then the lane cutters come in and block the left lane with their signals on waiting for someone to let them in. This causes the left lanes to backup as they slow down or try to go around.  Its a domino effect.

With 4-5 solid days of people leaving, people are pondering what it will look like when they decide to come back. While Irma will be gone by Monday night, it may take a week or so to get everyone back.

Expect long travel times on the return.

roadman65

Callahan, FL has no fuel and not expected to get some for a while as fuel trucks top priority is further south in the state.

Last night the Turnpike was moving as normal as it would appear most have already fled.

The problem is once in GA, there are no motels and gas is scarce along I-75 and probably US 19, US 27, and even US 441 a road that most would not use, but many towns along 441 intersect with east west roads having coastline GA and SC residents flee westward consume all the fuel.

BTW Wawa has gallon water bottles still available as I was there last night on Sand Lake and Universal in Orlando with cases still ready for sale.  No hot hoagies as all hot food items are not being prepared in lieu of the storm.  Only cold food items being sold and of course Tastycake and Frito Lay items.
Every day is a winding road, you just got to get used to it.

Sheryl Crowe

edwaleni

Quote from: roadman65 on September 09, 2017, 11:21:17 AM
Callahan, FL has no fuel and not expected to get some for a while as fuel trucks top priority is further south in the state.

Last night the Turnpike was moving as normal as it would appear most have already fled.

The problem is once in GA, there are no motels and gas is scarce along I-75 and probably US 19, US 27, and even US 441 a road that most would not use, but many towns along 441 intersect with east west roads having coastline GA and SC residents flee westward consume all the fuel.

BTW Wawa has gallon water bottles still available as I was there last night on Sand Lake and Universal in Orlando with cases still ready for sale.  No hot hoagies as all hot food items are not being prepared in lieu of the storm.  Only cold food items being sold and of course Tastycake and Frito Lay items.

Jacksonville FL has had spot shortages of regular unleaded periodically. It has a major fuel depot for 3 major refiners, so you know if they are having shortages, there is a great deal of consumption and distribution going on.

All the buses, UPS and FedEx trucks in Jax run on LNG, so no issues there. Jaxport is a major LNG terminal forr the SE.

A few reports are coming in from people in SW Florida saying its taking 4 to 6 hours to reach Orlando. Lines are appearing at all gas stations that either open or have gas.



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