Every stretch of South Florida's highways is being closely watched right now. The Florida Department of Transportation is making sure any accidents get cleared up as quickly as possible and all lanes on I-95 stay open.
There's a steady traffic flow on South Florida highways but as more people decide to evacuate, traffic and congestion may increase. Evacuations for Monroe County are underway, voluntary evacuations have begun for other parts of South Florida.
"We're going up to Georgia at least. We just want to get out of Florida," said Katie Weaworth, a teacher in Key West.
Weaworth packed up as soon as word spread that schools would be closed Wednesday.
"Everything that we love, our guitar, our ucalaly, cats, dogs, just brought everything we could," said Weaworth.
The decision to get on the road was simple for Tim Phillips from Key West. He's bound for the Carolinas.
"It's kind of a mandatory evacuation so it’s a good idea to get out," said Phillips. "It's a scary storm, and it's, you’re not exactly sure where it's going to go."
FDOT employees are keeping a close eye on the Hurricane and the highways.
"What you see here are operators watching pretty much the entire roadway making sure everything is flowing smoothly," said Daniel Smith, Operations Manager at the Regional Transportation Management Center in Fort Lauderdale.
Right now there's a little more traffic than usual on South Florida highways. Tolls were suspended at the governor's order and people packing up and leaving have the option of taking I-95 or the Florida Turnpike North.
"Some people are leaving the area and some people are moving from Miami north or from the east coast to the west, or the west coast to the east. We're trying to keep everything open and smooth and spread our resources as they're needed as we track the Hurricane and where it's going exactly," said Smith.
Weaworth said aside from waiting in traffic to get gas at the Turnpike rest stop in Pompano Beach, her ride out of the Keys was a smooth one.
"I think today it's going to be crazy," she said.
Many drivers stuck in those long lines while gassing up said they're staying in town.
"I don't think it's going to be that bad," said Sean Meyer of Lake Worth.
"Ride it out, relax, and just hope for the best," said Josh Shampaner of Coconut Creek.
FDOT says road rangers will be out until winds reach 35 miles per hour. Crews will continue to safely monitor roadways from inside the traffic management control room.
"During the storm, we'll be able to see if there's anything blocking the roadways," said Smith.
Once Hurricane Irma's threat is over, highways will be cleared of any debris to allow emergency vehicles and supplies to get through.
FDOT wants drivers to use the 511 app or call 511 if they plan to travel. The app gives up to the minute information on where crashes are happening, what the average speed of travel is on the highways, and any incidents taking place.
"Stay calm on the highway because when people start to act erratically potential crashes happen and we have a lot of blockages, we start reducing lanes because of a crash," added Smith.
