Eclipse could cause once-in-a-lifetime traffic jams - Entrepreneur Generations

The nation is gearing up for the Aug. 21 solar eclipse, which will cross 14 states from Oregon to South Carolina in about 90 minutes. As excited citizens buy eclipse glasses and book hotel rooms, communities and public lands are preparing for the huge influx of visitors and the strain they could place on local infrastructure such as cell phone networks. But another big problem to watch out for? Traffic. About 200 million people live within a day's drive of the path of totality--the narrow cross-country line where the eclipse will be darkest, and officials are expecting millions to clog the roads, Jenni Bergal reports for Stateline, the the nonpartisan, nonprofit news service of the Pew Charitable Trusts. Dave Thompson, a spokesperson for the Oregon Department of Transportation told Bergal: "People are thinking they're just going to pop in, see it, and then turn around and head back home. They're not. They need to be prepared for long backups and have a full tank of gas and stuff in their car like water and food and medications they might need."

States are doing what they can to mitigate the traffic. Many plan to suspend construction projects for the day. Idaho state officials have been working to identify potential traffic bottlenecks and plan for ways to control traffic. In Missouri, the state transportation agency and the highway patrol will work together to monitor capacity at state rest areas and welcome centers so they can be closed to new drivers once they fill up. Geographic information systems expert Michael Zeiler, who operates the website GreatAmericanEclipse.com (a great one-stop source of eclipse info) created a map of potential traffic bottlenecks for the eclipse:

FiveThirtyEight.com map; click to enlarge

Transportation officials are also concerned about wrecks caused by the inevitable congestion and confusion. They're particularly worried that drivers might take pictures while driving or look up at the sun instead of at the road. Looking up at the sun is a no-win scenario: a driver who isn't wearing eclipse glasses could damage their eyes and become temporarily blind while driving. A driver who is wearing eclipse glasses while driving won't be able to see the road. Federal Highway Administration spokesperson Doug Hecox has simple advice for drivers: "Don’t stand on the interstate. Don’t pull your car over. Don’t take a selfie from a bridge. The risk of driver distraction from this once-in-a lifetime event has never been greater. We don’t want anyone to have an ‘eclipse in judgment."

from The Rural Blog http://ift.tt/2vIA9Vr Eclipse could cause once-in-a-lifetime traffic jams - Entrepreneur Generations

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