Bandera County, Texas – The Texas Department of Transportation has a message for motorists ahead of Monday’s solar eclipse: Be careful and be prepared.
TxDOT is asking drivers to plan ahead and be patient. An influx of people is expected to travel through south-central Texas, and road congestion is expected to increase through Tuesday.
Drivers can use DriveTexas.org to plan trips and see real-time traffic updates. Electric vehicle owners can use the U.S. Department of Energy's charging map to find out where to plug their vehicle.
Ronnie Brown said his electric car charger is the only one for miles in western Bandera County.
“At least we're ready for that,” Brown said. “We only have one, but at least we have something in case someone is in trouble.”
Brown owns Lost Maples Country Store in Vanderpool. His only electric car charger is next to the only gas station in town. He said people stopping in his town should be prepared just in case, as there is a high chance of running out of gas.
“I'm preparing for it. It's not the worst, but it's not the best, it's somewhere in between,” Brown said.
Local drivers won't be the only ones on the roads this weekend. Sahel Maswadi, owner of Parata Auto Car Rentals, said all his cars were fully booked for weeks before the eclipse. He said most of his customers come from out of state.
“We were expecting a lot of calls,” Maswadi said. “We're fully booked right now. That's one thing. So even if they call us, we don't have anything.”
Other rental agencies across San Antonio are showing a similar pattern. Many major rental companies have limited inventory until next week, if at all.
Click here for other effects that may be seen here in San Antonio due to the eclipse.
More Eclipse coverage from KSAT's Your Eclipse Authority:
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