For those Driving to Nationals

Thanks for the update Jean.

We got .01 inches of rain this morning, but we need lots. At least it was something. Florida Highway Patrol opened I-95 at 7:30 AM this morning (Tuesday) as visibility was good, but they still plan to close it at 6 AM tomorrow as a precaution. I believe I-95 was open for the rest of the day today. Most of the people in the New Smyrna area who were evacuated were allowed to return to their homes today. Three homes were destroyed, and there was some other damage, but nobody was hurt except for people in the traffic accidents before the interstate was shut down and a fire fighter who was treated for smoke inhalation. The main problems are the muck fires that burn underground and produce a lot of smoke and the amount of dead wood in the forests left over from the 2004 hurricanes.

I live in Volusia County near New Smyrna Beach where one of the big fires is. People driving to South Florida should avoid I-95 which local TV said will most likely be shut down every morning because of smoke for the next month. Muck fires, which is what is causing the smoke, can burn for a long time, and they say this one probably will burn until we get some HEAVY rain. The suggestion given was to use Florida's Turnpike along with I-4 or I-75. There were some very bad multi-vehicle crashes on I-4 and SR 528 when these roads were open in the early morning. I-95 will probably be open during the daytime hours when visibility is better, but authorities say that it will be shut down from 5 AM to 9 Am in the fire area until further notice. Traffic was rerouted to Route 1 and was worse than bumper to bumper yesterday.

Here is what was reported on a local TV station website concerning Interstate 95 throigh Volusia and Brevard Counties. Port Orange is just south of Daytona Beach. From 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. for the foreseeable future, officials plan to shut down a 20-mile stretch of I-95 from Rockledge north to Titusville and another 20-mile stretch of the BeachLine Expressway, a popular east-west artery that runs from Orlando to the Atlantic coast, Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Kim Miller said. Also, Miller said smoke from the Volusia County fires would shut down a 12-mile stretch of I-95 from Port Orange to Edgewater from 4 a.m. to 9 a.m. Wednesday morning. Afternoon closures have also been forced in the past few days, but Miller said they weren't expected again unless the fires took an unexpected turn or winds kicked up.

This was on the local news at noon-time. Port Orange to Edgewater is about 20-25 miles, and Port Orange to New Smyrna is 10-15 miles. Traffic will most likely be rerouted to Route 1. There are also closures of the interstate in Brevard County though these closures are intermittent. Officials said they are worried about the root systems along Interstate 95, so a section of the highway will close indefinitely. I-95 northbound will be closed from state Road 442 in Edgewater to state Road 421 in Port Orange, and I-95 southbound will be closed from S.R. 421 in Port Orange to state Road 44 in New Smyrna Beach until further notice, WESH 2 News reported. The Division of Forestry said it is worried that trees could fall onto the busy highway because the root systems have been damaged from the recent brush fires. Troopers said they are especially concerned about trees in the median. Several trees have already fallen along Pioneer Trail, the site of the raging New Smyrna Beach brush fire that consumed at least 1,300 acres and destroyed or damaged three homes.