The Texas Department of Transportation said it expected to open a shoulder of northbound Interstate 37 to traffic -- from coastal Corpus Christi to U.S. 281 roughly 80 miles inland -- on Wednesday morning to help people trying to leave the city.

CNN: Nervous Texas braces for Ike

Heavy traffic along Interstate 5 was reported in both directions at the start of the holiday weekend as cars and trucks inched along a cumbersome detour that took vehicles off the interstate and onto county roads.

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For example, the interstate highway system, air traffic control system and even the Internet were the result of DoD projects.

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