Traffic delays expected in several states due to solar eclipse
Saturday’s solar eclipse could cause heavy traffic and travel delays on highways in several western and southwestern states.
According to NASA, the solar eclipse will begin on October 14 at 9 am. Around 10:30 the Moon will block 90% of the sun’s light.
The Utah Department of Transportation posted on its Facebook page that it expected an influx of “more than 300,000 visitors during the eclipse.”
The heaviest traffic will be in the Richfield and Medicine Hat areas, and UDOT is warning of delays on Interstates 15, 70, US 89 and US 191.
“We encourage eclipse watchers to stay an extra day if possible to avoid what our traffic engineers expect will be a delay of several hours immediately after the eclipse,” UDOT wrote on Facebook.
The agency is also asking those watching the eclipse not to park on the side of the road to watch. You should also be prepared that local water and food supplies may be limited after the event. Not everyone in the United States will see the maximum eclipse.
Some parts of the Great Plains and South will have about 50% of the sun hidden; Midwest and Southeast about 40%; Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states – about 20%; and New England – only 10%.
