Ask Vermont public safety officials how to most carefully navigate the April 8 solar eclipse, and they advise against staring at the “generational spectacle” with the naked eye.
Instead, they suggest focusing on the expected galaxy orbiting around it.
“Please plan for that traffic. Please be patient,” said Mark Bosma, Vermont Emergency Management spokesman.
The state Department of Transportation says up to 160,000 tourists will travel to Vermont in 60,000 vehicles to join residents in observing a partial solar eclipse starting at 2:14 p.m. Monday and a total solar eclipse lasting three minutes starting at 3:26 p.m. I expect to see it. It then returns to a partial solar eclipse until 4:37 p.m.
“Think of this as peak fall weekend on steroids,” Gov. Phil Scott said.
Officials said the Vermont State Police will have full personnel on the streets and Burlington Police will have 40 officers and support staff for the city's annual July fireworks display. is the same number as
Tourists are expected to arrive over several days and depart en masse after the eclipse, according to a state study conducted with the University of Vermont's Transportation Research Center.
The study predicts that vehicle traffic will be heaviest where the eclipse's path passes through northern Vermont. It begins with Burlington's main road, Interstate 89, and surrounding Routes 2, 7, 15, and 117. But it is also impacting central and southern highways, including Interstate 91 and Route 117. 4, 5, 9, 100, 103.
Authorities cannot determine exactly how many people will travel and when. They simply point out that everyone could avoid the problem if drivers staggered their arrival and departure.
But again, if more than 50,000 people gather in Burlington, police “do not have confidence that they will be able to maintain traffic flow anywhere in the city,” the department concluded in a recent report.
Transportation Agency officials are using social media and road signs to urge motorists to use less-traveled roads instead of major highways and to stay put instead of speeding off.
Specifically, authorities are encouraging locals to “stay still and stay in town” and tourists to “get out of the way and stay another day.”
The state also encourages drivers to:
■Text VTECLIPSE to 888-777 to sign up for solar eclipse notifications or request here to receive ongoing public safety alerts.
■Please check the 511 New England website for the latest information on traffic conditions and road closures.
■Find and label social media messages with the hashtag #VTEclipse.
■If traffic jams persist for a long time, please drive with a full tank of gasoline, food, and water.
The Vermont Office of Emergency Management provides a list of all reported road closures on its website.
Many streets in Burlington will be closed to vehicular traffic to make way for pedestrians and parking. You can view the map here.
Camel's Hump Road will be closed in Duxbury and Huntington to discourage visitors to the mountain.
A large portion of State Street will be closed in Montpelier due to the afternoon event.
In St. Johnsbury, a portion of Main Street will be closed for public programs at the Fairbanks Museum and Planetarium.
Also in Underhill, Mountain Road and Stevensville Road will be closed to discourage people from climbing Mount Mansfield.
The state has created a special eclipse website with links to public safety updates and alerts, weather forecasts, maps, events and travel information.
Vermont rest areas and welcome centers will remain open until midnight Monday.
The state Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation notes that most of the trails are closed due to slippery or waterlogged conditions.
The Vermont Emergency Management Agency says this also applies to many local vehicle shortcuts.
“It's muddy season, so dirt roads may not be the best option,” Bosma says.
