Overview
The National Operations Center of Excellence coordinated resources for the Total Solar Eclipse, which took place on August 21, 2017. The path of totality covered 14 states West to East across the country, however, the eclipse was visible and had an effect on the entirety of the contiguous 48 states. We recommend you watch both our 2017 Total Solar Ecllpse Webinar for a fantastic overview of Total Eclipse and our Solar Eclipse Planning and Preperation One Month Out: Communications, Emergency Management, and Travel Estimates.
Below are resources from state and local transportation agencies collected in preparation for the 2017 Total Solar eclipse, as well as information for planning for future solar eclipses. If you have any resources or plans for how your agency is addressing the eclipse, please be sure to email notify Adam Hopps.
AASHTO Solar Eclipse Task Forces
The AASHTO Transportation Communications Subcommittee — TransComm — is made up of public affairs professionals from the 50 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. TransComm has assembled a Solar Eclipse Task Force to share information among states regarding communications planning. An overview of the Transcomm Solar Eclipse Task Force and Missouri's activities can be found here.
Resources shared by TransComm include:
- Missouri's Solar Eclipse Communications Plan
- Missouri Solar Eclipse News Release
- Sample Press Release for Solar Eclipse
- Eclipse Notification Images: version 1, version 2, version 3, no text
The Special Committee on Transportation Security and Emergency Management (SCOTSEM) serves state DOTs, other AASHTO committees, and partner organizations by developing, promoting, and supporting the coordinated implementation of all hazards infrastructure protection, emergency response, and related system operations/resilience programs.
The SCOTSEM Solar Eclipse Task Force focuses on coordination around emergency management issues necessary to address around a special event such as the solar eclipse.
Information on state DOT activities around these issues can be found in the June 2017 task force meeting minutes, found here.
Additional Resources for State and Local Agencies
The map below outlines the path of totality and provides links to details on each state within the path of totality. Additionally, we've provided a cloud chart predicting where total eclipse will mostly likely be visible as well as a map from eclipsemaps.com demonstrating the percentage of darkess across the country.
- Transportation Fact Sheet for State and Local Departments of Transportation
- Transportation Information, Federal Highway Administration
- Traffic and Travel Estimates for States (Please Note: These estimates are meant solely as an informational resource and are not officially endorsed by NOCoE or AASHTO)
- Teton County, WY: Presentation on Eclipse Preparation
- Natrona County, WY: Presentation on Eclipse Preparation
- Map of NASA sponsored events
- Hopkinsville, KY "Eclipsville" site
- Overview of Effect on Solar Power
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Resources on the Eclipse
Overview of the Roads
The 2017 Solar Eclipse was a unique special event for both the public as well for transportation operators. Operators, especially in the 14 states in the path of totality, undertook advanced planning to accommodate increased local travel demand from people jockeying to get to the line of maximum totality. In their Solar Eclipse Transportation Fact Sheet, FHWA asked state and local DOTs if they've:
- Undertaken advanced planning as it is likely to increased local travel demand from people jockeying to get to the line of maximum totality.
- Developed partnerships with user-based routing apps? Real-time information is likely to be valuable as most of the path is through rural areas where any congestion and closures might be unexpected.
- Considered this event in your construction and maintenance planning? The distraction that Solar Eclipse may mean it's not a good day to schedule work zones and detours.
- Created an events schedule? The duration of the event will occur between about 16:00 Universal Time (UT) (on the west coast) and 20:00 UT (on the east coast). The duration at any given location will be about 3 hours from the start of the partial eclipse (the point at which the moon first begins to obscure the sun) to the end (where it leaves the sun completely).
- Note: As it pertains to transportation planning, travelers should be at their observation location a minimum of a couple hours before totality. The role of State and local DOTs may include instituting roadblocks or other measures to keep people from making illegal turns as they drive around looking for "the perfect spot" as eclipse totality nears.
- Incorporated traveler behavior into your plans? In addition to individual travelers, the eclipse is likely to draw numerous groups including schools, enthusiast communities, and other entities with varying capabilities for advance planning and organization.
- Arrivals will be somewhat paced; departures will be more compressed as there is no reason to remain after the period of totality has passed.
- Prepared for the future? We suggest the States who experience the 2017 Solar Eclipse to share their knowledge with those public agencies that will be under the path of continental United States solar eclipse that occurs on April 8, 2024.
Overview of the Sky
A solar eclipse occurs when the moon transits directly between Earth and the sun, blocking the sun and casting a shadow over Earth.
For those in the path of totality, the the eclipse offered an extraordinary opportunity to see the sun's corona.
The last time most Americans experienced a total solar eclipse was 1991. In 2017, over 500 million people observed the August 21, 2017 total solar eclipse, in partial or total form: 391 million in the U.S., 35 million in Canada, and 119 million in Mexico (plus Central America and parts of South America and northwestern Europe) .
Resources: