|
ITD gearing up for eclipse chasers |
|
June 1, 2017 |
 |
Preparations at Idaho Transportation Department
Headquarters and in the districts are well
underway for the 2017 total solar eclipse set to
appear August 21. Officials throughout the
department are planning for the event,
coordinating with state and local governments
and other community leaders on preparations.
ITD wants to make viewing of the solar eclipse
in Idaho a safe and enjoyable experience for
residents and visitors alike by keeping highways
open and traffic flowing.
In case you haven’t heard, the eclipse is a big
deal. The moon will fully obscure the sun for
more than two minutes, completely shadowing a
narrow band of the lower 48 for the first time
since 1979.
Southern Idaho lies in the center of that band,
which is referred to as the “Path of Totality.”
The moon’s umbra shadow will pass over the
countryside through this band.
ITD is developing an incident-response plan,
identifying locations that may become
bottlenecks, and developing traffic-control
plans. Officials tentatively anticipate they may
suspend highway construction Friday through
Wednesday.
Make your plans – and support ITD in making its
preparations. The agency aims to provide the
level of service expected of the best
transportation department in the country.
To catch the excitement of this major celestial
event, see the projected path of the shadow as
it passes over Idaho
https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4515.
The state’s typically sunny August weather means
there is a good chance there will be few, if
any, clouds in the sky when the eclipse occurs.
The point isn’t lost on eclipse chasers, who
have booked up motels, campgrounds and even
homes in the region to view the “totality.”
They also like the fact that Idaho is situated
at a high altitude, closer to the sky than many
parts of the country. Estimates are for tens and
even hundreds of thousands of people to descend
on Idaho — some projections put the migration at
more than one million.
The event begins in the late morning of August.
21 in Weiser and ends in the early afternoon in
Driggs. Other towns in the center of the path
are Mackay, Mud Lake, Rigby, Rexburg and Victor.
Area residents should buckle up.
If you are unavailable, uninterested or have
other plans August 21 and intend to catch the
next total solar eclipse in Idaho, be prepared
to wait for 152 years! |
|
Questions or comments about this
article?
Click here to e-mail! |
|
|
|
|
