Crazy traffic expected on at least 30 interstates ahead of solar eclipse: ‘Like having 20 or 30 Super Bowls happening all at once’
Americans and tourists from far and wide will be heading toward the path of totality across the US in advance of the upcoming solar eclipse — but travelers should pack their patience because traffic jams are expected.
Fifteen states are in the path of totality from Texas to Maine, a traffic nightmare that will have a “widespread impact” on at least 30 interstates, according to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).
“Having a total solar eclipse pass through the US is kind of like having 20 or 30 Super Bowls happening all at once,” Richard Fienberg, a project manager of the American Astronomical Society’s Solar Eclipse Task Force, told Time.
“So many people are gathering for the spectacle over a long distance.”
About 31.6 million people live in the path of totality. Ohio alone is expecting anywhere from 150,000 to more than 575,000 visitors to come just for the event, according to the Ohio Department of Transportation.
The last time Ohio was in the path of totality was 1806, and major cities, like Cleveland and Dayton, will see a total eclipse on April 8, while other areas, like Columbus and Toledo, will see a near total eclipse.
Other states, like Arkansas, estimate up to 1.5 million visitors could hit their state, according to the Arkansas Times.
Texas is expecting up to 1 million out-of-state visitors for the event, the state’s Department of Transportation Director Adam Hammons said.
The Canadian side of Niagara Falls has already declared a state of emergency last week ahead of the solar eclipse, as it estimates up to 1 million visitors will descend on the iconic falls, as it has been deemed one of the best places to view it.
The FHWA is advising travelers to go early and stay longer in cities and states that are hotspots for the rare celestial event to help avoid heavy traffic jams, especially considering the department expects at least 5 million people to travel for the event.
If all 5 million visitors leave shortly after the total eclipse ends – which will last for less than four minutes – it would be equivalent to 71 football games ending at once, according to a journal by the Institute of Transportation Engineers.
Melissa Schleig learned the hard way in 2017 when the Virginian drove 400 miles to the Smoky Mountains to see it the day before the event.
“It should have taken us about six to seven hours to go down there but it took us about a little over six hours just to go about two hours south of here,” she told Time magazine. “It was insane.”
Schleig is one of the visitors expected to go to Niagara Falls for this year’s event and she’s already planning on avoiding traffic by extending her trip. She plans to be in the Canadian town from April 4 to April 10.
Michigan photographer Beth Hutter, 62, will be traveling to Texas this year five days before the event to save herself the catastrophe and headache.
“We made the mistake of trying to drive home the same day [for the 2017 eclipse]…So thankfully, because we’re going to be right there, I don’t think we’re going to have to deal with the traffic nightmares that most people are going to have,” she told Time.
The rare celestial phenomena, which sees the moon pass between the Earth and sun, will start around 12:30 p.m. CST in Dallas before ending around 4:40 p.m. in Caribou, Maine.
As for the cities in the path of totality, a total blackout will begin anywhere between 1:40 p.m. CST in Dallas to 3:13 pm EST in Cleveland, to 3:32 p.m. EST in Caribou, according to NASA.
The next solar eclipse in the region isn’t expected to take place until 2044.
