NORTH CENTRAL FLORIDA (352today.com) – UPDATE 2/9/2024, 3:13 P.M.: The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) says the 21-mile section of State Road (SR) 71 in Sumter and Polk counties has reopened.
UPDATE, 5:12 p.m.: The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has closed a 21-mile section of State Road (SR) 471 in Sumter and Polk counties.
The shutdown is between SR 50 in Tarrytown and US 98 in Polk County. FDOT says the closure is due to smoke from a prescribed burn on the Richloam Tract of the Withlacoochee State Forest and the Green Swamp East Tract Area adjacent to the state forest.
The roadway is expected to remain closed until conditions are safe.
FDO says signs have been posted for the following detours:
- Drivers who want to take S.R. 471 from U.S. 98 in Polk County should continue west on U.S. 98, then north on U.S. 98/U.S. 301 toward Dade City, to eastbound S.R. 50. Follow eastbound S.R. 50 to S.R. 471 in Tarrytown.
- Drivers who want to take S.R. 471 from Tarrytown, take S.R. 50 westbound to U.S. 301 southbound, then continue on U.S. 98 southbound.
You can check the latest road conditions and traffic updates by going to the state’s FL511 website or download the FL511 mobile app.
ORIGINAL, 6:11 a.m.: The Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) is warning motorists that smoke from several prescribed burns in multiple counties across North Central Florida may cause visibility issues for drivers Thursday, Feb. 8.
FHP is urging drivers to use caution when traveling in the area as visibility may deteriorate quickly, especially during nighttime and early morning hours. Troopers say you should reduce your speed and utilize low beam headlights to adapt to changing weather conditions.
Here are the areas where troopers say active prescribed burns may cause issues:
Alachua County
State Road 20 at County Road 325
Columbia County
2,000-acre prescribed burn
Just east of US Highway 441 north of Interstate 10 in the Deep Creek area
48-acre prescribed burn at Oleno State Park
Just south of County Road 18 on US Highway 441 within River Rise
Marion County
182-acre prescribed burn
State Road 40 at County Road 314A
42-acre prescribed burn at Price’s Scrub State Park
I-75 near County Road 320 (MM 370)
Sumter County
21-mile segment of State Road 471 between State Road 50 in Tarrytown and US 98 in Polk County is closed
The Florida Forest Service has an interactive map that allows you to track active prescribed burns throughout the state.
There are many reasons the Forest Service performs controlled burns. The Forest Service says one of the main reasons is to improve wildlife habitats and clear out overgrowth to reduce the chances wildfires will get out of control. You can learn more about the reasons why the Forest Service conducts these burns here.
DOT Worker Injured
A little more than a week ago, a prescribed burn in Levy County made driving conditions so hazardous troopers shut down portions of three roads.
Just as state Department of Transportation workers had set out cones to detour drivers at the intersection of SR 121 and CR 337, troopers say a woman driving a pickup truck drove through the intersection hitting a large cone and then hitting a DOT worker.
At last report, the DOT employee had been airlifted to the hospital in Gainesville in critical condition.