ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — We're officially less than 48 hours away from a total solar eclipse.
Travelers continue to flock to the Rochester area from outside the city, and transportation experts are urging caution for travelers this weekend.
“We're expecting quite a bit of congestion, like during the morning commute. So the idea that you can get where you want to go in 20 minutes is probably not going to happen that day,” said Jim Stack of the Genesee Transportation Council. told News 8.
Stack estimates approximately 130,000 additional vehicles will be in our area Monday afternoon. In addition, he can compare this year's total solar eclipse traffic forecast with that seen in 2017.
“The big challenge is right after the eclipse, and what we learned in 2017 is that people want to leave in the first two hours, but most want to leave in the first 15 minutes.” said Stack.
Inbound traffic is expected to continue to flow steadily through the remainder of the weekend.
“The inflow is not as worrying because it's spread out. I call it a mass outflow, but there are so many people wanting to go out at the same time, and that's the challenge,” Stack said.
Stack predicts that once total time ends, drivers will be looking to get on the road as soon as possible, explaining the domino effect that could occur.
“It's going to merge with 490, but 490 in the Victor area is going to back up as it merges with the freeway,” Stack said. “And an hour later, those who left early from Buffalo will join those who left late from Rochester.”
“When you have so many people in so many places and they're all leaving at the same time, the road network is like a funnel,” Stack added. “They're going to be moving from smaller roads to larger roads, especially out-of-towners who we expect to travel to the south.”
Eclipse is still a “worth the trip” event, but those already in town are encouraged to get as many errands done as possible beforehand.
“For people who live here, it's all about everyday things and everyday errands, like picking up medicine or prescriptions, buying groceries, filling up the gas tank, etc. '' Stack said. “If you can do it in advance, you don't have to do it in traffic and contribute to the challenge.”
The main thing to remember on Monday is to have patience.
“Show some courtesy to other drivers and understand that they may not be as familiar with the road. They may be doing last-minute maneuvers and you may wonder what they're doing. But they're just not used to it,” Stack said.
