RALEIGH — The N.C. Department of Transportation announced it has identified three safe alternate routes the public may use to access Wilmington, which was flooded by Hurricane Florence.

These are the recommended routes:

• From the south, take U.S. 17
• From the north, travel on Interstate 40 East to N.C. 24 East (exit 373), then onto U.S. 17 South
• From Fayetteville, take N.C. 87 to U.S. 701 South to N.C. 211 East to U.S. 74 East

Additionally, people may use I-40 to exit 373 and N.C. 24 to reach Jacksonville.

State transportation officials recommend people avoid any unnecessary travel in these hard-hit counties where the risk of flooding remains: Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus, Duplin, Jones, Lenoir, Pender, Robeson, Sampson, Scotland, and southeastern Wayne (south of U.S. 70 Business and east of U.S. 117).

NCDOT is making progress on reducing the number of road closures, which statewide totaled 550 as of Saturday morning. However, rivers are cresting through this weekend in southeastern North Carolina, where many roads remain impassable, including sections of I-40 closer to Wilmington. NCDOT must wait for the water to recede, then inspect for damage and make any necessary repairs before reopening the roads.

For real-time travel information, visit DriveNC.gov or follow NCDOT on Twitter.