With Kentucky officials expecting 500,000 visitors in or near Hopkinsville for August’s total solar eclipse, they're stressing everyone be prepared for every situation.
Officials in Tennessee and Kentucky have urged anyone planning to travel to the area to make plans now.
“We want visitors to come and take in this once-in-a-lifetime event, but we also want them to be prepared for issues a mass migration of people heading to the eclipse corridor may create,” said Wade Clements, KYTC District 2 chief engineer.
Here's
- Be prepared for hot weather. Temps in mid-to-late August can be in the 90s.
- Bring plenty of water – about a gallon a day per person.
- Bring sun screen, insect repellant, and first aid items.
- Bring picnic or snack items. Restaurants and grocery stores may experience long lines.
- Pick a viewing location with rest rooms and easy access to restaurants or other source of food.
- Do not stop along highways. Vehicles on the shoulder hinder traffic flow and create a traffic hazard.
- Be prepared for long lines at fuel pumps. Access to fuel may be limited.
- Be aware that heavy traffic congestion may interfere with delivery of food, fuel and other supplies along the total eclipse corridor.
- Be careful – while local agencies are gearing up for large crowds, heavy traffic may hinder the ability of emergency agencies to respond.
- Be patient – you are likely to encounter slow-moving traffic at some point during your visit.
- Bring a GPS based navigation unit as cell phone navigation may be sketchy due to heavy cell and data traffic.
- If your group is traveling in several vehicles consider communicating with two-way radios as cell service near the total eclipse corridor may be limited due to heavy demand.
For real-time Kentucky traffic and travel information, visit goky.ky.gov and https://smartway.tn.gov/.
