YULEE, Fla. — The new traffic checkpoint located at a weigh station off the southbound I-95 lanes near the Florida-Georgia border was forced to temporarily shut down just hours after opening Sunday.
On Friday, Governor Ron DeSantis expanded a previously announced executive order that would require travelers from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut to self-isolate for 14 days after arriving in Florida. The expansion added Louisiana to that list, considered to be another COVID-19 hot spot.
Checkpoints along the state's major interstate highways, like I-95 and I-10, opened Sunday morning. Every driver coming into Florida, with the exception of truck drivers, were stopped and screened.
Those drivers coming from the states on the list would be directed to the side for additional screening, and to provide contact information and details of their trip. They would also be informed of the self-isolation requirement.
Rollout of the checkpoint on I-95 in Nassau County midmorning Sunday was rocky.
After a meeting held under a tent between officials from the Florida Department of Transportation, Florida Highway Patrol and Georgia State Patrol, troopers jumped in their vehicles and hit the road.
The plan would go something like this: all three lanes of I-95 south would be blocked off, funneling drivers into the weigh station about a mile south of U.S. 17 near Yulee. Once inside, trucks could bypass the screening in a dedicated lane, while everyone else would be stopped and questioned.
Soon after the highway closed, traffic began to build (as one would expect). However, it seemed officials were not prepared for the amount of buildup.
First Coast News recorded vehicles stopped on the highway starting before U.S. 17 and extending past the Georgia border, not moving an inch. At least four miles of congestion, with some writing in to say they waited up to 2.5 hours.
On social media, drivers posted videos like the one below, showing people driving through medians and ditches to get around barricades and onto the U.S. 17 ramp.
At some point Sunday afternoon, the checkpoint shut down temporarily. Traffic was opened back up on the road. We reached out to FDOT to ask what happened, and this is what they responded with:
"FDOT’s top priority is safety across the state’s transportation system and once congestion was realized for a short period of time yesterday, traffic was flushed to address the congestion. Immediately after the congestion was eliminated, the checkpoint was re-activated and has been running smoothly since. FDOT is continuously monitoring the active checkpoints and will ensure safety and mobility around the areas."- Beth Frady, Communications Director.
Maps still show some buildup near the checkpoint but nothing near what was seen Sunday.