Where eclipse seekers flocked and the traffic that followed
The First Art Newspaper on the Net    Established in 1996 Saturday, November 23, 2024


Where eclipse seekers flocked and the traffic that followed
People driving in search of a better view of the eclipse created unusual traffic patterns across the United States.

by Charlie Smart



NEW YORK, NY.- Monday’s solar eclipse drew huge crowds to the path of totality, temporarily ballooning the populations of small towns and rural areas across the country. A map shows an estimate of where human activity increased the most Monday, compared with that on an average Monday, according to data from Mapbox, an online mapping company.

Some towns in the path of totality expected their populations to double, and the data — drawn from mobile-device activity — showed such increases in many places.

Among the towns with more than 100% increases in activity were St. Johnsbury, Vermont; Lancaster, New Hampshire; and Ste. Geneviève, Missouri. State parks like the Adirondack Park in New York and many areas in the Ozarks region of Arkansas and Missouri were also popular destinations. The data includes activity for the entire day and also shows a pattern of movement away from the path of totality.

Around midafternoon Monday came the main event: the moment of totality, when the moon moved fully in front of the sun, turning daylight to darkness. That climax lasted only a few minutes, and then eclipse watchers started their trips home or to hotels.

Traffic was stopped or delayed along some highways more than eight hours later, according to data from TomTom, a mapping and navigation company. Officials in many parts of the country had warned of snarled traffic, and roads in the Northeast — from New York to Maine — had the greatest concentration of hourslong delays.

Interstate 87 in New York had a line of traffic more than 55 miles long around 6 p.m., and cars were still backed up for miles at 11 p.m. on Interstate 93 in New Hampshire, more than seven hours after the eclipse, according to TomTom.

On a normal weekday afternoon, the 210-mile drive from Burlington, Vermont, to Somerville, Massachusetts, takes about 3 1/2 hours. On Monday, the same trip took Liam Sullivan, 26, of Somerville, more than nine hours after watching the eclipse.

“The worst part was that in the first four hours we only went about 40 miles,” Sullivan said. “A solid marathoner is beating our pace there. It was completely hopeless congestion the entire time.”

While drivers in the Northeast faced the worst of the delays, there were also long traffic jams outside of Indianapolis, St. Louis and Columbus, Ohio.

“It was definitely the worst traffic I’ve ever seen in my life,” said Richard Chen, who spent nine hours driving from Newport, Vermont, to his home in Brooklyn, New York, after the eclipse.

Despite the traffic, Chen said he didn’t see any road rage. “I think people were just kind of thrilled to witness the eclipse, and the traffic and road tripping was just part of the experience,” he said.

Was the drive worth it? For Chen, there was no question. “Definitely,” he said, noting that the next major U.S. eclipse will take place in 2045.

Sullivan wasn’t so sure. He said that the eclipse was stunning and that he was grateful to witness it but added: “If you told me yesterday how long it would take, I would have gone back to bed.”

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.










Today's News

April 15, 2024

Philip Johnson's brick house and its hidden boudoir, exposed

'STUDIO K.O.S. Where we have gone' opens at Morena di Luna, Hove

Vivian Maier's vintage work hits the block at Heritage on May 2

Renaissance portraits that played hide and seek

UK's first large-scale exhibition of work by Outi Pieski on view at Tate St Ives

Ezen Collection of Elite Sovereigns offered at Heritage's CSNS World & Ancient Coins event

Savages! Innocents! Sages! What do we really know about early humans?

How Gen Zers made the crossword their own

Hudson Yards' Vessel sculpture will reopen with netting after suicides

Faith Ringgold, who wove Black life into quilts and children's books, dies at 93

The Fondazione Querini Stampalia pays tribute to Ilya Kabafiov, one year after his passing

Gioele Amaro's fourth solo exhibition with Almine Rech opens in London

International loan exhibition examines early empires of Northern and Eastern Africa and their connection with Byzantium

"Zen and the Open Road" to feature most famous forgotten motorcycle

Solo exhibition by artist, writer and thinker Andrea Fraser opens at The Fondazione Antonio Dalle Nogare

Tess Korobkin receives the 20th Annual Frost Essay Award

Lawmaker presses luxury designer after reports of exploiting Indigenous workers

Don Wright, editorial cartoonist with a skewer for a pen, dies at 90

Where eclipse seekers flocked and the traffic that followed

Some used to dread readings. Now they sell out.

Is your garden missing something? You may need a large pot (or several).

In 'Symphony of Rats' revival, a darkness goes underexplored

National Art School unveils 'Dale Frank: Growers and Showers'

Netflix's new film strategy: More about the audience, less about auteurs




Museums, Exhibits, Artists, Milestones, Digital Art, Architecture, Photography,
Photographers, Special Photos, Special Reports, Featured Stories, Auctions, Art Fairs,
Anecdotes, Art Quiz, Education, Mythology, 3D Images, Last Week, .

 



Founder:
Ignacio Villarreal
(1941 - 2019)
Editor & Publisher: Jose Villarreal
Art Director: Juan José Sepúlveda Ramírez
Writer: Ofelia Zurbia Betancourt

Attorneys
Truck Accident Attorneys
Accident Attorneys
Holistic Dentist
Abogado de accidentes
สล็อต
สล็อตเว็บตรง

Royalville Communications, Inc
produces:

ignaciovillarreal.org juncodelavega.com facundocabral-elfinal.org
Founder's Site. Hommage
to a Mexican poet.
Hommage
       

The First Art Newspaper on the Net. The Best Versions Of Ave Maria Song Junco de la Vega Site Ignacio Villarreal Site Parroquia Natividad del Señor
Tell a Friend
Dear User, please complete the form below in order to recommend the Artdaily newsletter to someone you know.
Please complete all fields marked *.
Sending Mail
Sending Successful