Oklahoma Gears Up For Solar Eclipse Traffic Surge

Thousands are expected to visit the southeastern part of Oklahoma for the upcoming total solar eclipse on April 8th.

The Oklahoma Department of Transportation says it'll spend the next month getting ready to handle the crowds on the roads. 

"We're putting out some additional portable cameras so we'll have some live visuals, that will help us and also help the traveling public, we will have changeable message boards at key locations, certainly District 2," said executive director Tim Gatz. 

Gatz says he's studied how other states have handled this type of event before and he expects people to trickle in ahead of the eclipse, but all try to leave at the same time once it's over. 

"We're looking at pausing maintenance activities and taking a hard look at our construction projects to make sure we can optimize traffic flow out of the area," he said.

Gatz says an event like this doesn't happen often, so ODOT is doing everything it can to prepare.  He said they want to keep everyone safe and remind drivers to turn on headlights and avoid stopping on the highway during the eclipse. 

"Once those traffic cues build up, they can take hours to clear, that's only going to exacerbate the conditions in the area," he said.

He does want to encourage drivers to download the Drive OK app where ODOT will be able to communicate with them.