From selling special glasses to preparing for traffic snarls, Oklahoma officials are prepping for the April 8 solar eclipse expected to pass directly over southeastern Oklahoma.
Oklahoma Department of Transportation Executive Director Tim Gatz on Monday urged motorists to use caution during the eclipse.
Gatz’s remarks were made during the regular Oklahoma Transportation Commission meeting.
The moon will block out the sun, plunging parts of Mexico, the United States and Canada into darkness.
Southeastern Oklahoma will be impacted, including Broken Bow, Idabel, Hugo and Antlers. The eclipse will pass over Oklahoma starting at 1:44 p.m. and end by 1:51 p.m.
Gatz said his agency is working with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, Office of Emergency Management and Oklahoma Turnpike Authority.
“We will have personnel on site during the eclipse working closely, hand in hand with OHP and their mobile command so we can quickly respond to anything that might come up,” Gatz said.
The Oklahoma Department of Transportation is looking at pausing maintenance activities and construction projects to make sure traffic flow out of the area can be optimized, Gatz said.
“The area will be concentrated in McCurtain County, in the southeast corner of the state,” Gatz said. “However, the effects will be more broad sweeping than that.
“We expect traffic conditions will be somewhat problematic across the southeast region.”
He said it will be crucial that his agency can communicate with drivers in the area during that time.
Officials are expecting that those trying to see the eclipse will trickle into the area at a slower pace, but when the eclipse is over, spectators will all try to leave at once, Gatz said.
“I think that is where we are going to have our biggest traffic challenges,” Gatz said.
The agency is setting up additional cameras to provide live pictures of the conditions, Gatz said.
Changeable message boards will be placed at key locations across the area so transportation officials can communicate with drivers, Gatz said.
“One of the things we want to ask drivers is please don’t stop on the highway during the event, because again that creates congestion in traffic queues that can result in secondary accidents along the routes and once those traffic queues build up, they can take hours to clear,” Gatz said.
Motorists should turn on their headlights, he said.
“This is planned to be a total eclipse and the light conditions are going to change dramatically,” Gatz said.
Motorists should be aware of and watch out for pedestrians, he said.
“Because somebody is going to pull off on the side of the road and get out of their vehicle and that is going to create a dangerous situation,” Gatz said.
The major highways in the area are U.S. 70, U.S. 259 and Oklahoma Highway 3, according to the Department of Public Safety.
Visitors might consider stopping at a restaurant until traffic conditions improve, Gatz said.
“We will do everything we can to try to be ready for it and are doing everything we can, but it is still going to be bad,” Gatz said.
Three state parks will be totally eclipsed, said Chase Horn, a spokesperson for the Oklahoma Department of Tourism and Recreation.
Lodging and campsites at Beavers Bend State Park, Lake Wister State Park and Talimena State Park are full or filling up, he said.
Four other state parks will be eclipsed 97.8% to 99%, Horn said.
“We are working with the Department of Public Safety and other agencies making sure everyone is safe,” Horn said.
The Department of Public Safety said visitors to the area should expect maximum capacity in hotels, cabins and camp grounds.
In addition, the area should expect decreased quality of cellular service, delays in deliveries and increased emergency response times, DPS said.
Hoping to capitalize on the enthusiasm, the state Capitol gift shop on Monday was selling “Official Eclipse Glasses” to visitors for $2.99. Officials said tens of thousands of pairs were for sale across the state.
House Speaker Charles McCall, R-Atoka, said he’s not sure the House will be doing anything to commemorate the occasion.“But you can get a great look at it in southeastern Oklahoma if you want to travel down there towards Atoka,” he said with a grin.
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