Nationwide Solar Eclipse | August 21, 2017

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.

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 demonstrationg the percentage of darnkess 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

OREGON IDAHO MONTANA WYOMING NEBRASKA KANSAS IOWA MISSOURI  ILLINOIS KENTUCKY TENNESSEE GEORGIA NORTH CAROLINA SOUTH CAROLINA

• NASA Eclipse Resource Page
• Safety Issues Around the Eclipse (and Eclipse Glasses)
• American Astronomical Society Eclipse workshop at Southern Illinois University
• Southern Illinois University Eclipse Resource Page
• Eclipsophile--Amateur Astronomers

The 2017 Solar Eclipse is a unique special event for both the public as well for transportation operators. Operators, especially in the 14 states in the path of totality, will need to undertake 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 asks 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.

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 offers 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 will be able to observe 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) . This is a golden opportunity to observe one of nature’s most exciting splendors and to engage and educate diverse audiences in the U.S. and internationally, using a backdrop of this amazing celestial event coupled with NASA unique assets. 

Resources:

• NASA Eclipse Resource Page
• American Astronomical Society Eclipse workshop at Southern Illinois University
• Southern Illinois University Eclipse Resource Page
• Eclipsophile--Amateur Astronomers