NAPLES, Fla., April 27 (UPI) -- The wildfire on the western edge of Big Cypress Swamp has cost Florida close to $200,000 in lost highway tolls on Alligator Alley, officials said Monday.
The highway, also known as Interstate 75, slices across the Everglades and the Big Cypress National Preserve. It was closed Monday and is likely to be closed for the rest of the week at night for safety reasons, The Naples Daily News reported.
In addition to the lost tolls, the state is paying overtime for state troopers working 12-hour shifts on Alligator Alley and, of course, the cost of the firefighting. Local businesses have had to send trucks on circuitous detours, sometimes south to the Tamiami Trail, or U.S. 41, which has only one lane each way.
As of Monday, Alligator Alley had been closed off and on for a total of 83 hours since Wednesday. During that time, the fire consumed 24,000 acres.
By late Monday, the fire was only 30 percent contained.
