EVACUATION ALERT: I-10 Bridge In Pensacola 1 Lane Eastbound

[EmeraldCoast1]

If a moderator could maybe take this message to the next level and make it a "sticky" or whatever, it may really help some (thousands) folks...

BE ADVISED::

If you, or someone you know is evacuating the northern gulf coast area and are planning on traveling the I-10 corridor Eastbound PAST Pensacola, please understand that the interstate bridge over Escambia Bay in East Pensacola is only one lane and is a speed restricted lane at that. A little storm named Ivan caused the damage almost one year ago.

I live in Pensacola and it is a daily fact that traffic moves at a parking lot pace from the East end of the Eastbound bridge all the way back to at least the Davis Hwy. exit or sometimes even back to US29 exit. This is just from normal, everyday local traffic mixed with transient interstate traffic.

It is my opinion that it would only take a few thousand extra vehicles approaching the Pensacola are via I-10 to cause traffic to back up for miles. Perhaps tens of miles. It isn't so much because the bridge is one lane, but much of the one-lane portion is temporary steel structure sections that replaced the concrete sections that Ivan literally floated away. Because of that, the speed is only about 30-35 mph for all vehicles. And the 18-wheelers are slower due to their extended acceleration times.

If you know someone already on the road (FoxNews is showing massive vehicular traffic outbound from NOLA) call them on their cell phones and maybe that can make alternate plans or just plan to stay in the Pensacola area.

My alternate route suggestions include:

Taking one of the first exits in Pensacola and proceed south to get on Hwy 98 that will take you through Gulf Breeze, Navarre, Ft. Walton Beach, etc. as you head East. You can get back on I-10 around Destin by taking the mid-bay bridge.

If anyone else has alternate routes, maybe we could all post them in this thread to help our fellow GOMers get the heck out of town without sitting in traffic jams that could have been prevented with a little info.

God Speed to evacuees...

[WindRunner]

Post it in the MS/AL/FL thread.

EDIT: Oh, it doesn't include FL anymore. Never mind.

[r_u_stuck2]

Go to this link. On the left side of the page you can click for live webcams for each end of the bridge.

http://www.escambiabaybridge.com/index.html

[yzerfan]

Also if I-10 eastbound looks to be severely backed up even once you hit Crestview, FL, an alternate route east from that point is to take the Crestview exit, go south on SR 85 toward Niceville, and then go left/east on SR 20, which runs parallel and about 15-30 miles south of I-10 all the way to Tallahassee.

[johngaltfla]

Folks, with the SSTs where they are at, just

GET OUT

This storm has two full days possibly to do a couple of more ERCs and get stronger. I would not even entertain trying to ride this storm out. I would head towards Texas or Arkansas if I were in any region where there was a Hurricane Watch now...

[r_u_stuck2]

At 12:38 CST Channel 3 (Local News Station) announced that one of the West Bound lanes will be changes to an East bound lane.

This will result in TWO East bound lanes and One West Bound Lane over the I-10 Bridge.

However, this is really going to be confusing so be very careful if you go this way.

[r_u_stuck2]

At 12:38 CST Channel 3 (Local News Station) announced that one of the West Bound lanes will be changes to an East bound lane.

This will result in TWO East bound lanes and One West Bound Lane over the I-10 Bridge.

However, this is really going to be confusing so be very careful if you go this way.