New Hampshire transportation officials have warned motorists planning to travel to the part of the state in the path of a total solar eclipse to avoid local roads because of expected congestion.
In an advisory published Monday, the state's Department of Transportation said visitors going to Coos County, New Hampshire's northernmost region, to see the rare celestial phenomenon should use only state highways to arrive at and depart from viewing spots.
"Some secondary highways and local roads were not designed to handle large volumes of traffic, and springtime in the north country can bring frost heaves and very soft shoulders," the advisory said. "Traffic generated by the solar eclipse will impact roads throughout New Hampshire. Be prepared for slow travel heading south after the eclipse on Monday evening."
On April 8, the total solar eclipse—when the sun is completely blocked by the moon—will be visible for different lengths of time along a path from northern Mexico, across the Midwest and up into New England. The path of totality—the area in which it will be seen—reaches across 13 states as well as small areas of Tennessee and Michigan.
As with the last time such an event happened in the U.S., in 2017, many people are expected to travel to ideal viewing spots, which has raised concerns about stretched public safety resources. The Federal Highway Administration says that while around 32 million people live in the path of the total eclipse, between 1 million and 5 million are expected to travel to prime viewing locations to see it.
In Oklahoma, one rural county has already enlisted the help of the National Guard to deal with an influx of tourists, and its narrow roads are expected to become highly congested.
With heavy traffic expected to be a problem in many places, experts are stressing that motorists should plan to allow for extra time to reach their desired viewing spot to avoid being distracted on the road. Both the Federal Highway Administration and AAA have urged motorists to not watch the eclipse while driving and to not park in unsafe spots on the side of the road.
In Coos County, there are numerous state highways connected to U.S. Routes 2 and 3.
According to calculations by NASA, the path of totality will cross the county diagonally from Lancaster. The total eclipse is expected to last around two minutes in the southern part of Coos County and three minutes in the north.
The New Hampshire Department of Transportation said it would be providing real-time traffic updates throughout the day.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Aleks Phillips is a Newsweek U.S. News Reporter based in London. His focus is on U.S. politics and the environment. ... Read more
