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Highways May Reverse Traffic Lanes During Evacuation

BY ROD CHALLENGER

News Channel 8

Published: May 23, 2008

If you plan to drive to Central or North Florida if a hurricane threatens the Tampa Bay area, the Department of Transportation has a plan that may help you. Here's what you need to know about contra-flow:

Officials will convert the westbound lanes on Interstate 4 to allow eastbound traffic and the southbound lanes on Interstate 75 for northbound traffic. This will increase capacity moving away from the coast by about a third, said Ron Anderson, emergency coordination officer for the Tampa district of the Florida Department of Transportation. Drivers will likely be able to travel 45 to 55 mph, he said.

Contra-flow will be used only during daylight when a Category 4 or 5 hurricane threatens.

Reversing the westbound lanes on Interstate 4 would start east of the downtown Tampa interchange and extend to the Disney World exit.

Once the decision to reverse the lanes is ordered by the governor, it will take about eight hours to get traffic moving in the opposite direction.

Fuel tankers will be placed along the interstates, so road rangers and motorist-support vehicles can refuel gas cans to pass along to stranded motorists. That's to keep traffic moving. Motorists will get only enough gas to get to the next station.

Getting to the contra-flow lanes could still be a problem for evacuees coming from Pinellas County. The widening of Interstate 275 often has eastbound traffic backed up across the Howard Frankland Bridge even without the extra traffic generated by a hurricane evacuation.

That's because the state has had to close the auxiliary lane between Howard Avenue and the downtown interchange. "That will remain closed," during a hurricane said John McShaffrey, a DOT spokesman.

You should consider staying close to home when a storm threatens. Tom Iovino, a Pinellas County spokesman, suggests that residents in low-lying areas arrange to stay with friends or relatives who live on higher ground outside evacuation zones.

Rod Challenger, News Channel 8

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