Kentucky Officials Warn of Significant Traffic Delays on Eclipse Day, Report Says
Henderson, Kentucky (WEVV) — People from all over Kentucky are getting ready for the Great Solar Eclipse on April 8. They will be going through Henderson or to the City of Henderson.
There are plans ready from many different departments for just about every situation that could happen.
The traffic is the main thing they want people in Kentucky to be ready for.
A report from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet says that up to a million people may be moving through Western Kentucky to reach a totality point.
The public information officer for KYTC District 1 says that people are coming from Florida, Georgia, Alabama, and a lot of Tennessee.
The 2017 eclipse, when other parts of the state were in the line of totality, is used as a lot of information for planning.
Todd says, “To give you an idea, the busiest time last time was up in Hart County on US-31W, with 222% of the normal daily traffic.”
Most of the traffic this year will likely be going south on the twin bridges in Henderson.
It’s easy for traffic to back up on the bridges, so the government says there will be crews on each end to move cars out of the way if needed and try to keep traffic moving.
Officials in charge of traffic say you should expect to be stuck in traffic for two to four hours.
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“We’ve added a 5-gallon bucket of patience because if you get stuck in traffic, you won’t be going anywhere for a while,” says Todd. People should bring water and snacks.
Ryan Walenga, the major of the Henderson police force, says that there will be more than twice as many cops on duty that day to help with traffic.
KYTC says they will set up along the highways and interstates to help with limited first aid and keep the roads clear for first responders.
Along the Highway 41 strip, Kentucky EMA will have a command post.
“Many ambulances will be stationed all over the city and county so that help can arrive faster.” Chief of Emergency Management for Henderson County, Kenny Garrett, says, “If something does happen, we’ll be able to handle it quickly.” “We’ll also have the Coast Guard, so if you’re a boater, we’ll have the Coast Guard and we’ll have Fish & Wildlife out that will be monitoring the river traffic to help us out if something happens out there.”
The government also has a plan for bad weather.
According to Jill Ward, Director’s Assistant for Henderson County Emergency Management, “We hope that the weather is nice that day. But if it doesn’t, both the college and the high school here told us that they would be happy to use it as a shelter for everyone in that area in case of bad weather.”
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People in charge say that waiting is the most important thing you can do to help. Do not try to leave as soon as the eclipse is over.
People are asked to stay late if they can. “There are a lot of viewing spots in the area that offer more than just viewing the eclipse. You might be able to stay and do other things there until the traffic clears up,” says Deneatra Henderson, Chief Engineer for KYTC District 2.
Authorities say they will do their best to keep drivers and people in Henderson up to date on any crashes or traffic delays that happen on the day of the eclipse. Radio is thought to be the best way to do that.