ATLANTA — Coastal Georgia is under a mandatory evacuation ahead of Hurricane Dorian.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp issued a state of emergency for 12 southeast Georgia counties and announced the mandatory evacuation of coastal areas east of Interstate 95.
In order to speed evacuation of those areas, the Georgia Department of Transportation, along with the Georgia State Patrol and Georgia Emergency Management Agency are ordering contraflow be enacted along I-16 from Savannah to US 441 in Dublin.
This means that all four lanes of traffic will flow westbound toward Macon. All eastbound access to I-16 will be blocked between Dublin and Savannah beginning Tuesday and throughout the contraflow process.
The contraflow began at 8 a.m. Tuesday and will end on Wednesday at noon.
Westbound travelers may exit I-16 at the following locations:
- Exit 143: Ga. 30 / US 280 to Pembroke at Ellabell, Ga.
- Exit 116: Ga. 73 / Ga. 301 to Statesboro and Claxton at Metter, Ga.
- Exit 104: Ga. 23 / Ga. 121 to Metter and Reidsville
- Exit 90: Ga. 4 / US 1 to Swainsboro
- Exit 71: Ga. 15 / Ga. 78 to Soperton and Adrian, Ga.
- Exit 67: Ga. 29 to Soperton
- Exit 51: Ga. 31 / US 319 / US 441 in Dublin
A traffic crossover on I-16 at Ga. 26 (mile marker 38) in Laurens County, Ga. is directing traffic back to regular westbound lanes prior to arrival in Macon. All westbound exits will remain open after Dublin.
Motorists are also reminded that shoulders on interstates are reserved for and being actively used for emergency vehicles only. They are not to be used for passenger vehicles.
All traffic being directed westbound on Interstate 16 will not be returned to a normal traffic configuration until just east of Macon.
According to the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA), evacuation routes heading inland, including I-16 and US 80, are anticipated to become crowded, so motorists are advised to prepare and leave as soon as possible.
The evacuation order is for all areas east of I-95, including parts of Bryan, Chatham, McIntosh, Glynn, Liberty and Camden counties, including the cities of Savannah and Brunswick, beginning Monday afternoon.
State of Georgia Resources
- View up-to-date emergency declarations from Governor Kemp here.
- View updates from Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency here.
- Visit Ready Georgia for weather alerts and emergency preparedness tips.
- Follow Georgia 511 for real-time traffic information.
- Learn what to do before, during, and after a flood here.
- Report power outages by contacting your power provider. The two main providers in Georgia are:
- Call your local non-emergency police line to report a downed tree on a main road.
Please stay aware of any forecast changes as there are still many questions that remain about where Dorian goes after impacting Florida.
TRACKING HURRICANE DORIAN |
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