Long lines of cars jammed highways in Florida after officials suspended toll collections and allowed motorists to drive on the shoulder to ease a massive evacuation ahead of the anticipated arrival of Hurricane Milton.
Overhead video shot from a Hillsborough County sheriff's helicopter showed bumper-to-bumper traffic moving at a crawl as far as could be seen on I-75 as residents fled the Tampa Bay region on Monday.
🚨𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐀𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐭🚨
— HCSO (@HCSOSheriff) October 7, 2024
Please be advised that I-75 between Morris Bridge and Bruce B Downs is experiencing significant backups. I-275 northbound heading into Pasco County is also seeing heavy traffic, with significant slowdowns starting at 275 and Livingston Avenue.
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Northbound 1-275 was "also seeing heavy traffic," the sheriff's office said on social media, and local TV station WFLA said eastbound I-4 was also packed with vehicles heading away from the vulnerable Gulf Coast.
Gov. Ron DeSantis directed officials to stop collecting tolls across west and central Florida and the state Transportation Department announced it was allowing "emergency shoulder use" to make it easier to get away.
The move lets vehicles other than large trucks, buses and trailers travel on the left-hand shoulder of I-75 and I-4 leading away from Tampa, according to a map posted on the DOT website.
All local counties have issued evacuation orders in anticipation of a potentially catastrophic storm surge and damaging winds, WLFA said.
"This is serious. There is no room for waiting. You must take action now," Pinellas County Emergency Management Director Cathie Perkins said during a Monday news conference, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
Milton is forecast to make landfall as a Category 3 hurricane late Wednesday with winds as high as 129 mph and a possible record storm surge of 8 to 12 feet in Tampa Bay, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Milton could retain hurricane strength as it barrels across the Sunshine State to the Atlantic Ocean.
The storm comes as residents are still trying to clean up from Hurricane Helene, which caused billions in losses and hundreds of deaths.
