CITRUS COUNTY, Fla. — Commissioners in Citrus County say they are looking for ways to be better prepared for the influx of traffic during storm evacuations.

What You Need To Know

  • Citrus County Commissioners voted to commission a study on how prepared the Suncoast Parkway will be for traffic during hurricanes

  • Locals said during Hurricane Ian, many people used the parkway during the evacuation period, which created congestion 

  • One business owner called the end of the parkway "a bottleneck"

Residents say that when there’s no traffic, it’s a breeze heading up the Suncoast Parkway. But, depending on the time of year, or time of day, business owner John Updyke says it can be a completely different situation.

“It’s one of those things where the traffic is heavier,” he said.

His business, Uncle John’s Wood shop, is right on state route 44, which is the main artery that the Suncoast Parkway flows into.

“It has picked up since the parkway opened up,” said Updyke, who noted that during a hurricane that type of congestion is the last thing you want to see.

“It’s a bottleneck,” he said.

That is why Citrus County commissioners say they want to be proactive before the next major storm.

“We, right now, for more or less, are a cul-de-sac,” said commissioner Rebecca Bays.

Bays and the other commissioners are asking the state to do a study to determine where drivers are coming from when they’re traveling on the parkway.

She said she wants to know what county leaders can do during emergencies that cause many people to use the Suncoast Parkway to evacuate to safer places.

“This is something I feel very passionate about, that we’ve got to get ahead of this because the state’s problem is our problem,” Bays said. “No matter how we want to look at it, this traffic is our problem.”

During a recent commissioners meeting, Bays shared her concerns over the highway network in the county and said she hopes a study like this would keep them ahead of the game.

The study is something residents and business owners like Updyke support, even if it means making drastic measures to the surrounding landscape.

“As the population grows, there’s more of a demand for bigger roads in order to handle the extra people,” he said.

He said during Hurricane Ian, there was an increase in traffic from people looking for refuge away from Tampa Bay, where the storm was projected to make landfall before swinging toward Fort Myers.

“There was more traffic and everything else by here,” Updyke said.

That is why the Citrus County commissioners say they voted to ask the state for help in conducting a study, to make sure traffic during emergencies isn't an issue people have to worry about.

Bays said county leaders would like the ability to ping IP addresses of people driving into the county to see what areas are using the parkway the most so they can proactively plan for a mass exodus of people during a hurricane or other emergency.

Commissioners said they are also are looking into the possibility of implementing a multipurpose building to be used as an evacuation shelter if people come to the county during a storm.