A 20-mile stretch of Interstate 75 in Marion County has been congested all day as evacuees of Hurricane Milton return to south Florida.
Heavy traffic congestion has been reported along the southbound lanes of I-75, between mile marker 342 and mile marker 361, all morning and afternoon.
Cameras managed by the Florida Department of Transportation show a steady flow of traffic as of 3 p.m. Motorists have reported delays along the highway since early this morning.
Yesterday, the highway saw similar congestion throughout the day.
In addition to the congestion, several accidents have been reported by FDOT today. That includes multiple accidents in the past couple of hours, all of which have taken place in the southbound lanes:
- A crash near mile marker 365 just before 2:30 p.m.;
- A multi-vehicle crash near mile marker 363 at 1:42 p.m.;
- And another multi-vehicle crash near mile marker 363 at 1 p.m.
There are also at least four disabled vehicles reported along the roadway as of this afternoon, according to FDOT.
The traffic backup stretches over several interchanges on the highway, including those at Exit 352 (State Road 40), Exit 350 (State Road 200), and Exit 341 (County Road 484).
Leading up to Hurricane Milton’s landfall on Wednesday night, I-75 and several other interstates across the state saw heavy traffic as evacuees made their way into safer parts of Florida and the Southeast.
For more updates on Interstate 75, check back on Ocala-News.com in the coming day.