Changes coming to ease congestion expected around the Aug. 21 eclipse

July 7, 2017

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Changes coming to ease congestion expected around the Aug. 21 eclipse

 

Motor carriers should expect delays and heavy congestion on major and minor highways in Oregon in the days around Aug. 21, when a solar eclipse will affect every part of the state.

 

Oregon’s Motor Carrier Transportation Division is taking steps to ease the expected congestion and wants to be sure all trucking operators are aware of highway conditions.

 

• No over-width loads will be allowed to operate anywhere in Oregon from noon Friday Aug. 18 to 12:01 a.m. Tuesday Aug. 22.
• Nearly all ODOT construction and non-emergency maintenance on state highways in the path of totality will be shut down Aug. 18-22 to ease the potential traffic impact.
• Other construction and non-emergency work will be curtailed depending on the expected traffic impact of the eclipse.
• With hundreds of thousands of additional visitors expected in Oregon, fire danger will be especially high. Motor carriers should be particularly wary of fire dangers.
• Most if not all fairgrounds are booked for events so there will be no large emergency parking areas available to commercial motor vehicles stuck in traffic due to roads blocked by crashes.
• With no hotel and motel rooms available, rest areas and even roadside pullouts may have people camping in place, which is a danger to safe highway operations and will exacerbate parking problems for commercial motor vehicles.
• Scale locations may be used for staging by law enforcement and emergency response vehicles and may not be available for use by commercial motor vehicles.

 

The path of totality will cover a 60-mile swath of the state, along a 338-mile path from the Pacific Ocean to Idaho. The eclipse will be at least 90 percent total everywhere in Oregon.  

 

Of particular congestion concern are Interstate 5 and Interstate 84 and other major roads in the path of totality, including U.S. 26 throughout the state, U.S. 97, U.S. 20, U.S. 30, U.S. 101, U.S. 395, U.S. 95, OR 6, OR 18, OR 22, OR 126 and OR 58. 

 

Oregon is expecting as many as one million people to travel into the path of the eclipse. Large gatherings, some numbering in the tens of thousands, will watch the eclipse from parks, fairgrounds, wineries, ranches and stadiums throughout the state. Eclipse-watchers arriving before and departing after the eclipse could severely clog state roads.

 

To reduce congestion, Oregon is advising travelers to “Arrive early, stay put, and leave late.” Motor carriers also should plan ahead and take steps that could help them avoid major congestion problems.

 

Travelers may also create hazards by stopping along the road the morning of Aug. 21 as the eclipse darkens the skies. ODOT advises all motorists to avoid stopping along the roadway at the time of the eclipse, which could be hazardous.

 

If the projection of one million visitors bears out, communities could also see depletion of basic resources such as food and water, especially in rural areas. Motels, motels and campgrounds have been booked for months.

 

Like all travelers, motor carriers should plan for personal needs if stuck in traffic, for things like food, water and bathroom breaks.