ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Multiple roads and bridges have been shut down across the Tampa Bay area since Hurricane Idalia brushed the region with high winds and a significant surge.
Here's a breakdown of road and bridge closures happening across the area.
Bridge closures/openings
- Sunshine Skyway Bridge is closed to all traffic as sustained wind speeds are now in excess of 50 mph.
- The northbound and southbound lanes of the Howard Frankland Bridge are shut down to all traffic because of storm surge and flooding.
- Eastbound lanes of the Courtney Campbell Causeway are closed because of storm surge and flooding.
- The Gandy Bridge is open as of this hour.
"Everyone is encouraged to remain sheltered and stay off the highways at this time," leaders with Florida Highway Patrol explain.
Tolls have also been waived for most major roads in the region to ease the evacuation process, including the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, Selmon Expressway, Veterans Expressway, Suncoast Parkway and the Interstate-4 Connector.
"You don't need to leave the state, you don't need to drive hundreds of miles, you don't have to try to outrun the storm," Gov. Ron DeSantis said on Monday. "If you get to a place that's higher ground in a safe structure, you can ride out the storm there and then go back to your home once the storm passes and all is clear."
If you aren't sure if an evacuation order has been issued where you live, you can find your evacuation zone using our county-by-county guide here.
So far, evacuations have been issued for certain low-lying areas of Citrus, Hernando, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas and Sarasota counties.
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