Plan your stops, drivers. The turnpike service plazas are closing.
As Hurricane Irma bears down on southern Florida, the state Department of Transportation is starting to close service plazas on the Turnpike.
Just before 10 a.m., the Snapper Creek service plaza in Kendall, near the Don Shula Expressway, was being closed.
Service plazas in Pompano Beach and West Palm Beach will close at noon to allow staff to return home before the 3 p.m. local curfew, FDOT said.
“The remaining service plazas will be closed south to north as conditions worsen,” state DOT director Mike Dew said in a statement. “We will close each in time to secure equipment and evacuate our staff prior to the arrival of tropical storm force winds.”
More turnpike service plazas are closing.
The Florida of Department of Transportation said the Fort Pierce and Fort Drum service plazas on Florida's Turnpike will close at 8 p.m. Saturday. The Canoe Creek, Turkey Lake, and Okahumpka plazas will remain open.
FDOT said the remaining plazas will be closed from south to north as conditions worsen. DOT will close each in time to secure equipment and evacuate our staff prior to the arrival of tropical storm force winds.
Kristen M. Clark: 850-222-3095, kclark@miamiherald.com, @ByKristenMClark
This story was originally published September 9, 2017 at 10:15 AM with the headline "Plan your stops, drivers. The turnpike service plazas are closing.."