Tropical Storms Marco and Laura will both make landfall over the next two days affecting oversize travel in Florida and Texas, with more restrictions anticipated in Alabama, Louisiana and portions of the lower Mississippi Valley.
The twin storms will bring heavy rainfall and high winds and there is a chance Laura could quickly escalate to a hurricane with a dangerous threat of storm surge along parts of the Louisiana and Texas coasts.
Florida has already issued an oversize load travel restriction while Texas is allowing for self-issue disaster relief permits.
Here are the updates/restrictions so far affecting oversize travel and oversize load permit issuance.
A Regional Emergency Declaration was issued for Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas.
This Declaration addresses the emergency conditions creating a need for immediate transportation of supplies, goods, equipment, fuel and persons and provides necessary relief.
Florida
Any truck over the following dimensions cannot travel throughout the state until further notice:
- 14’6 tall
- 10′ wide
- 80′ long
- 80,000 lbs
Texas
Update: Due to storms in the Gulf of Mexico, some TXDOT Districts are prohibiting OS/OW movement on all or substantial portions of their roadways until further notice. Permit applications may be denied or delayed. The current affected areas are as: Beaumont District – all counties; Houston District -Galveston County
Motor carriers transporting a divisible load that is overweight only to and within the areas affected by Tropical Storms Marco and Laura may self-issue a Federal Disaster Relief Permit through the Texas Permitting and Routing Optimization System (TxPROS).
The Federal Disaster Relief Permit allows for travel on all state and federal roads, including the interstate highway system. The permit may not be used for overwidth, overlength, or overheight loads.
A copy of the President’s declaration must be carried with the permit. The declaration can be found here: https://www.whitehouse.gov/news/ or https://www.fema.gov/disasters/disaster-declarations
Alabama
As a general rule, a driver must be able to see 1,000 ft in front to safely travel. If that can’t be done, travel is not permitted.
Louisiana
Interstate 10 in southwest Louisiana is completely closed to traffic. I-10 eastbound is closed at the Texas/Louisiana state line, and I-10 westbound is closed west of the Atchafalaya Basin. Updated info is available on the Louisiana Department of Transportation & Development website.
LA/TX Line
Everything south of LA-6 is closed due to the storm.