Eclipse 2024: State officials warn to be prepared for large crowds, traffic jams
Ohio is bracing for big crowds for the solar eclipse and asking visitors to come prepared and pack their patience.
Emergency management planners, transportation officials and the Ohio State Highway Patrol said people will likely trickle into the state in the hours leading up to the April 8 solar eclipse but then almost everyone will want to leave right after it ends.
If that happens, it'll prompt traffic jams across the 124-mile path of totality.
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State officials are trying to hammer home the message that staying put overnight or even for a few hours will help ease traffic congestion and driver frustration. They're also reminding people that they're not allowed to pull over on the side of a highway or off ramp to view the eclipse.
"Come early and stay late," said Ohio State Highway Patrol Lt. Ray Santiago. Fill your gas tank, bring a paper map, don't count on cell service working and be patient, he said.
When will the eclipse happen in Ohio?
The 124-mile-wide path of totality will cross Ohio from southwest to northeast a little after 3 p.m. on Monday, April 8. Dayton, Mansfield, Akron and Cleveland are in the path of totality while Cincinnati and Columbus are just south of it.
The Ohio Emergency Management Agency expects anywhere from 150,000 to 575,000 visitors statewide. Sunny conditions could cause crowds to swell but cloudy skies may suppress turnout. Viewers may shift their travel plans if parts of the state have better weather forecasts.
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State agencies, including emergency management, transportation, the patrol and parks, are all preparing for the influx of visitors and treating it as a "high traffic event" spread across a big chunk of Ohio. More than 450 viewing events are planned.
Gov. Mike DeWine issued an executive order directing state agencies to be prepared for the eclipse.
The last total eclipse in Ohio was in 1806. The next one in Ohio won't be until 2099.
Laura Bischoff is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio prepares for big crowds for 2024 solar eclipse
