Nashville, Tenn. – Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) Strike Force crews have been dispatched to the greater Tampa area to assist the Florida Department of Transportation in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton.
Our Strike Force team is a specialized group of TDOT employees able to deploy quickly in natural disasters to help with heavy debris removal, infrastructure assessments, and road repairs. The team is comprised of skilled equipment operators, engineers, and transportation experts. Their goal is to provide immediate relief and begin the recovery process in flood-affected communities.
Twenty-nine TDOT employees from Regions 2 and 3 mobilized this morning in 27 vehicles hauling 12 pieces of heavy construction equipment and 6 supply trailers. Our forces will embed with FDOT crews for at least 14 days.
“We’re proud to have the resources available to mobilize swiftly to help with the urgent needs of our neighbors in Florida severely impacted by Hurricane Milton,” says Deputy Governor and TDOT Commissioner Butch Eley. “We’ll work diligently with our FDOT partners to accelerate their recovery efforts and restore connectivity in the region just as they did for us after Hurricane Helene devasted upper East Tennessee.”
Additional TDOT engineers, HELP crews, and Strike Force members from across the state remain in East Tennessee for ongoing relief and recovery efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. More than 800 employees have participated in the cleanup totaling nearly 70 thousand man-hours. Seventeen sections of road remained closed, out of 49. Of the 14 state bridges closed, seven have reopened. A portion of I-26 is open to local traffic and weather-permitting portions of I-40 will reopen with restrictions within a week.
TDOT is committed to informing the public of our progress during this critical recovery period. We have created a dedicated webpage for storm updates, which can be accessed here: Hurricane Helene Recovery (tn.gov).
On this site, TDOT will provide daily updates. These updates will include our Project Status Tracker along with a map of East Tennessee closures, broken down by county. Updates will also be shared on our social media channels. For real-time information on road conditions, please visit SmartWay.
