- The Ohio Emergency Management Agency expects anywhere from 150,000 to 575,000 visitors statewide
- ODOT is treating the eclipse like a major travel holiday
- The Ohio Turnpike won't close lanes before, during or after the eclipse
The April solar eclipse will bring a once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon to Ohio.
It's also going to come with some traffic headaches.
State officials are urging Ohioans and visitors to prepare for increased traffic on April 8. The 124-mile-wide path of totality will cross Ohio from southwest to northeast, briefly submerging cities like Dayton, Mansfield, Akron and Cleveland in darkness. Large cities such as Cincinnati and Columbus are just south of the path of totality.
The Ohio Emergency Management Agency expects anywhere from 150,000 to 575,000 visitors statewide.
The total eclipse will last only a few minutes, but traffic around the event could jam up roads for hours. After the 2017 eclipse, Illinois drivers reported spending over 12 hours in traffic, while Missouri saw congestion for two to three hours. Some Kentucky roads had six-hour backups, with one route carrying 122% more traffic than normal.
“Last time we had a total eclipse in Ohio, there weren’t cars," Ohio Department of Transportation spokesman Matt Bruning said. "There were probably barely roads."
The last total solar eclipse visible in Ohio was in 1806.
How is Ohio planning for solar eclipse traffic?
Bruning said ODOT is treating the eclipse like a major travel holiday. The department will open as many lanes as possible and reduce the size of construction zones. Officials can't stop major work like the I-70 project in Columbus, but they won't block off lanes to install guardrails or paint lines.
ODOT is also talking with transportation agencies in states that went through the 2017 eclipse. Those conversations generated at least one idea: Road crews in Ohio will have gas cans in case drivers wind up with an empty tank.
The Ohio Turnpike, which is not under the purview of ODOT, won't close lanes before, during or after the eclipse. Two of three lanes around a bridge project over Tinkers Creek in Summit County will be open in both directions. Turnpike staff will be on hand to help drivers who get stranded.
Meanwhile, Emergency Management has conducted exercises to prepare for potential problems, executive director Sima Merick said. Ohio lawmakers gave the agency an additional $1 million for the eclipse, which will fund reimbursements for local emergency costs.
How can I prepare for total solar eclipse traffic?
Pack your patience, Merick said: "You don’t want to ruin (the eclipse) by feeling very frustrated."
Congestion will be worst after the eclipse, when people collectively decide to head home. ODOT expects backups on two-lane highways in western and north-central counties that don't usually see a lot of traffic. Places with other events that day, such as the Guardians home opener in Cleveland, could also be jammed.
State officials encourage people to have a plan for viewing the eclipse. They don't want you to watch it on the side of the road and block emergency vehicles or risk someone getting hurt.
"Just pulling off and running out into some random farmer's field is not an approved place to watch the eclipse from," Bruning said. "Neither is the side of the interstate."
Other tips:
- Fill your gas tank.
- Pack snacks, water and a cell phone charger.
- Bring a paper map in case service is bad.
- Turn on your headlights if you drive during the eclipse itself.
- Drivers without an E-ZPass should consider getting one to save time if they use the Turnpike, spokesman Charles Cyrill said.
- Call 911 or #677 in Ohio for emergency help or to report unsafe drivers or stranded motorists.
Can I avoid eclipse traffic delays in Ohio after it's over?
Ohioans who live in the path of totality should consider watching the eclipse at or near home. But if you travel, officials recommend you stay put for a little while once it's over.
"We want people to have a plan for sticking around and trickling back out," Bruning said.
To that end, Ohio's tourism arm is promoting other activities in counties within totality. Eclipse-watchers in Akron could head to the zoo, while visitors to Montgomery County can pick from the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery or the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. Other counties boast parks, breweries and restaurants for tourists to check out.
Haley BeMiller 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.
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