The 2017 total solar eclipse in the United States: Traffic management and lessons learned

Abstract

On August 21, 2017, 14 states in the United States experienced a total solar eclipse. The event attracted people to the path of totality and generated additional traffic that might have negatively impacted the regular traffic operation and management. This paper studied the 2017 solar eclipse to determine its impact on traffic operation and management from states located within the path of totality using data obtained from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). The paper grouped the states into three groups based on the time when the eclipse occurred. The paper compared traffic patterns before, during, and after the eclipse. The results indicated that traffic volume decreased two days before the eclipse except for Wyoming. Also, traffic increased in post-eclipse and returned to normal after two to three days. Three hours before the eclipse, traffic significantly declined by 13%, and two hours post-eclipse, traffic increased by 13% from the regular traffic. The findings of this paper can assist transportation planners in predicting better and preparing for similar future events.

Keywords

• 2017 total solar eclipse
• Transportation planning
• Traffic trend analysis
• Traffic congestion
• Traffic management