LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Monday’s solar eclipse has the nation buzzing, especially in states that will experience the event in its totality.
As millions are expected to travel to the total eclipse zone, state departments of transportation are working to ensure that everyone on the roads stays safe.
The path of totality travels through Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.
Tiny parts of Michigan and Tennessee will also be able to witness totality if conditions are clear.
After the eclipse crosses into Canada, it will pass over southern Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton, at the eastern end of Nova Scotia.
The moon will shroud the sun for up to 4 minutes, 28 seconds, a spectacle normally unfolding in remote corners of the globe but this time passing over major cities like Dallas, Indianapolis and Cleveland. An estimated 44 million people live within the path of totality, with another couple hundred million within 200 miles, guaranteeing the continent’s biggest eclipse crowd ever.
Practically everyone on the continent will get to see a partial eclipse.
You can watch the whole thing unfold online, too. NASA is offering several hours of streaming online from several cities along the totality path.
Departments of transportation around the nation want everyone to be safe during the spectacle, and many have issued travel alerts that affect commercial motor vehicles.
Following is a list of safety measures taken by states that fall within the total eclipse zone.
ARKANSAS
The Arkansas Department of Transportation is suggesting that truckers use the day as a holiday.
“Severe congestion is expected on the entire Arkansas State Highway System during the eclipse, to such an extent that the day may be mostly unproductive for freight vehicles,” a statement in the Arkansas Department of Transportation’s official eclipse guide states. “ARDOT will engage the Arkansas Trucking Association in an effort to encourage truckers to adjust their travel schedule, so they are not trapped on the roadways with eclipse related traffic. Like other TDM strategies discussed, this will be a voluntary decision on the part of the commercial drivers with no penalty for those who decide to operate during the eclipse.”
Additionally, there will be no oversize travel in the state from sunset on Thursday, April 4, until sunrise on Wednesday, April 10.
ILLINOIS
No restrictions are in place.
INDIANA
The Indiana State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement is closing weigh stations, which “will serve as a safe haven for commercial vehicles should driver’s choose to find a safe location to park, rather than continue driving during the eclipse.”
The weight stations will be available for commercial vehicle parking only. Parking will be available until all spots are filled.
State officials are also advising truck drivers not to travel on Monday, April 8.
KENTUCKY
No oversize restrictions; however, state officials are warning about heavy traffic and have identified areas they anticipate will be the worst. These include the Interstate 24 Ohio River Bridge at Paducah, the U.S. 41 Twin Bridges at Henderson and bridges that connect Interstates 65 and 64 at Louisville.
MAINE
All oversized loads are prohibited to move on Monday, April 8, as a safety precaution due to the solar eclipse.
MISSOURI
Superloads will not be allowed to move on Monday, April 8, in the Southeast District. Single trip permits over 12-feet, 6-inches wide, over 13-feet, 6-inches high and more than 80,000 pounds will not be issued.
NEW HAMPSHIRE
No restrictions are in place; however, the state has issued a travel advisory for motorists to be cautious.
NEW YORK
The New York State Department of Transportation is restricting all oversize travel beginning at 6 a.m. Monday, April 8, through 9 p.m. Tuesday, April 9 within counties that are in the path of the eclipse.
The counties are: Albany; Allegany; Cattaraugus; Cayuga; Chautauqua; Clinton; Erie; Essex; Franklin; Fulton; Genesee; Hamilton; Herkimer; Jefferson; Lewis; Livingston; Madison; Monroe; Montgomery; Niagara; Onondaga; Oneida; Ontario; Orleans, Oswego; St. Lawrence; Saratoga; Schenectady; Seneca; Steuben; Warren; Wayne; Wyoming; and Yates.
NEW YORK THRUWAY
Oversize travel is restricted on both directions of Interstate from exit 24 in Albany to the Pennsylvania line and on Interstate 190 until a half-hour before sunrise on Wednesday, April 10.
OHIO
The state has not announced statewide restrictions; however, Cleveland will restrict oversize load movement, including Cleveland in the city until Wednesday, April 10.
Gov. Mike DeWine has activated the Ohio Emergency Operations Center beginning Sunday, so that it will be up and running before, during and after Monday’s celestial event to help communities navigate any issues that arise.
Ohio is curtailing highway construction projects headed into Monday, so that maximum lanes are available to accommodate heavy traffic, Transportation Director Jack Marchbanks said. Officials encouraged travelers to pack extra snacks and water, for both themselves and any pets they have along; phone chargers; and paper road maps in case of cell service disruptions.
Col. Charles Jones of the Ohio State Highway Patrol advised “planning, preparation and patience” in relation to the eclipse. Stopping along the highway to view the eclipse is both illegal and dangerous, he said.
OKLAHOMA
The Sooner State will be suspending over-sized load traffic Sunday, April 7, through Monday, April 8, in McCurtain County only.
PENNSYLVANIA
No oversize travel restrictions are in place; however, officials are warning of heavy traffic.
TEXAS
The Texas Department of Transportation says that no size/weight permitted travel will be allowed on that day from midnight to midnight in the following counties:
Anderson; Atascosa; Bandera; Bell; Bexar; Blanco; Bosque; Bowie; Brown; Burnet; Camp; Cass; Cherokee; Coleman; Collin; Comal; Comanche; Coryell; Dallas; Delta; Denton; Dimmit; Edwards; Ellis; Erath; Falls; Fannin; Franklin; Freestone; Frio; Gillespie; Grayson; Gregg; Hamilton; Harrison; Hays; Henderson; Hill; Hood; Hopkins; Hunt; Johnson; Kaufman; Kendall; Kerr; Kimble; Kinney; Lamar; Lampasas; Leon; Limestone; Llano; Marion; Mason; Maverick; McClennan; McCullough; Medina; Menard; Milam; Mills; Morris; Navarro; Parker; Rains; Real; Red River; Robertson; Rockwall; San Saba; Smith; Somervell; Sutton; Tarrant; Titus; Travis; Upshur; Uvalde; Val Verde; Van Zandt; Williamson; Wood; and Zavala.
VERMONT
“The northern half of the State of Vermont will fall within the path of totality during the solar eclipse on April 8, 2024,” a statement from the Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles (VDMV) notes. “Vermont is expecting a large influx of visitors to the state. Traffic is expected to be heavier on the day of the eclipse and the days surrounding the eclipse.”
VDMV officials are strongly urging commercial motor vehicle drivers traveling to and through Vermont on Monday to consider alternative delivery dates and routes whenever possible to avoid the expected increase in traffic.
Additionally, to assist in easing with the flow of traffic on the day of the eclipse, the VDMV is instituting the Saturday, Sunday and holiday restrictions for over dimension/overweight commercial motor vehicles effective for Monday, April 8, 2024.
On state highways, unless otherwise stated, permits will not be issued for the movement of loads in excess of 108,000 pounds or more than 12 feet wide or more than a 100 feet long.
Born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and raised in East Texas, John Worthen returned to his home state to attend college in 1998 and decided to make his life in The Natural State. Worthen is a 20-year veteran of the journalism industry and has covered just about every topic there is. He has a passion for writing and telling stories. He has worked as a beat reporter and bureau chief for a statewide newspaper and as managing editor of a regional newspaper in Arkansas. Additionally, Worthen has been a prolific freelance journalist for two decades, and has been published in several travel magazines and on travel websites.
