If Gustav forces parish leaders to call for evacuation, motorists will have to face contraflow, the reversal of traffic along federal interstates and highways so that everyone is going north away from the storm.

Contraflow is phase three of the entire evacuation plan set in place by the Louisiana Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness. Contraflow is called for 30 hours before a storm’s tropical winds hit the coast. By that time, emergency personnel hope to have residents from the coastal areas south of St. Tammany Parish already on the road during phases one and two, which begin 50 and 40 hours, respectively, before the storm’s winds hit the coast.

In St. Tammany Parish, there are two spots where contra flow will be enacted. On the east side, Louisiana State Police will reverse traffic flow at the intersection of Interstates 10, 12, and 59 north of Slidell. In west St. Tammany Parish, contra flow will begin at the interchange of U.S. Highway 190 and Interstate 12.

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At the I-10/I-12/I-59 interchange both north and south bound lanes of I-59 will only go north. Traffic in the left and center lanes of I-10 East will be routed onto southbound I-59, while the right lane traffic will continue on the northbound I-59. I-10 East traffic will not be allowed to continue east on I-10, nor will they be able to enter I-12 West. However, if motorists leave Slidell using I-12 West, they will be routed onto U.S. Highway 190 West at Covington, continue to Hammond and then to Baton Rouge.

On the west side of the parish, traffic going north on U.S. 190 will be diverted onto I-12 at the U.S. 190/I-12 interchange. This traffic will go to Hammond and be routed onto I-55 North in Hammond. Traffic on 1-12 West will be routed north on I-55 at Hammond. Traffic on U.S. 190 West will be allowed to continue to Baton Rouge.

If this sounds confusing, well there are several ways to avoid the slowdown of contraflow. First, leave before evacuation is called for.

Remember, St. Tammany traffic will be joining traffic from New Orleans and points farther south. So leaving even before phase one of the evacuation begins could save motorist time and gas.

Secondly, have an evacuation plan mapped out in advance in which you use minor state highways to bypass all the slowdowns and stops that come with contraflow. Joining the contraflow means that a car cannot change routes. They have to go where the state troopers tell them to go.

If a motorist picks a state road they will have freedom of movement. State officials say the best strategy is to leave before contraflow is activated.

As of Thursday afternoon, Gustav is predicted to make landfall sometime early Tuesday morning. This means the Louisiana State Police will start phase one of the evacuation Saturday night, and contraflow will be activated sometime early Sunday morning.

For contraflow maps and details on the evacuation plan, go to the Web site, www.ohsep.louisiana.gov/evacinfo/stateevacrte.htm.

Hurricane evacuation booklets are also available at all Home Dept, and Lowe’s stores.