Dallas officials urge residents to finalize their April 8 total solar eclipse plans early
Dallas council members, city department heads and local agency officials urged residents to be prepared for heavy traffic jams next week due to the influx of... Dallas city officials have urged residents to finalize their April 8 total solar eclipse plans early due to the anticipated traffic impact on roads. Officials urged people to avoid traveling too far from their neighborhoods to watch the eclipse, but warned against looking directly at the sun without protective glasses. They also warned that if you must travel early, leave for your destination early and stay late. The city expects significant traffic disruption due to anticipated influx of visitors and watch party events. Around 90% of the citywide 35,000 hotel rooms are expected to be booked by Monday, according to VisitDallas. The total eclipse's path of totality is expected to occur around 1:40 p.m. The Federal Aviation Administration has warned of travel delays at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and other airports due to this rare event.
Published : a month ago by Everton Bailey Jr. in Science
Editor’s note: This story is part of The Dallas Morning News’ coverage of the 2024 total solar eclipse. For more, visit dallasnews.com/eclipse.
Dallas city officials on Tuesday urged residents to avoid venturing too far from their neighborhoods to watch next Monday’s total solar eclipse to decrease the impact of traffic on roads.
But if you must travel, leave for your destination early, be prepared to stay late, and don’t stare directly at the sun without protective glasses on, the officials said.
“Make a plan now for what you’re going to do for Monday,” said Dallas Office of Emergency Management Director Travis Houston at a news conference Tuesday. “Now is the time to do it.”
Dallas council members, city department heads and local agency officials urged residents to be prepared for heavy traffic jams next week due to the influx of visitors and dozens of watch party events around the city for the first total eclipse witnessed in North Texas since 1878.
Officials expect highways and other roadways to be jammed, particularly in the late afternoon after the eclipse ends as people leave from their viewing locations all at once.
Officials say they are anticipating visitors beginning to arrive in Dallas starting Thursday or Friday.
Around 90% of the around 35,000 hotel rooms citywide are expected to be booked by Monday, said Jennifer Walker, senior vice president and chief marketing officer for VisitDallas.
Walker said early estimates show Dallas could be receiving up to a 35% increase in visitors -- or up to more than 450,000 people -- during the event. A better estimate may not come until after Monday.
“Bottom line, we’re expecting a lot of people in Dallas that day,” Houston said.
Drivers shouldn’t stop or park on the roads to watch the eclipse, according to police chief Eddie García. He urged people to keep roads as clear as possible to allow emergency responders to get to service calls and hospitals.
García said the police department has canceled all requested time off deemed discretionary to make sure there are enough officers on duty.
“You will see a visible Dallas Police Department presence on our roadways and across the city,” García said.
Dallas is one of the largest cities in North America along the eclipse’s path of totality, which covers a stretch of land spanning north that includes cities like Indianapolis, Buffalo, N.Y., and Montreal.
The National Weather Service in Fort Worth said in its initial forecast that cloudy conditions are likely for eclipse viewers in North Texas. Houston said Tuesday that the city is anticipating having a better idea of the forecast closer to the weekend.
The moon is expected to begin covering the sun in Dallas around 12:23 p.m. on Monday with totality happening around 1:40 p.m. The total blockage of the sun is estimated to end around four minutes later and the moon completely moves away from the sun by around 3:02 p.m.
The next total solar eclipse isn’t coming around to North Texas until 2317.
Several counties in Texas have issued emergency declarations ahead of the eclipse in response to the potential strain on law enforcement and emergency management resources.
The Federal Aviation Administration has warned of travel delays at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and other airports due to the rare event. Nearly every rental car agency in the Dallas area has either sold out of vehicles or has raised their rates higher than average.
City officials say they expect up to 8,000 people for a three-day festival at Samuell Farm, a more than 600-acre city-owned regional park located in the Mesquite area.
Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson is advertised during a total solar eclipse event Monday at the Cotton Bowl Stadium in Fair Park.
Yoga with goats is being offered during one eclipse lead up event Sunday at Harwood Park in downtown Dallas. And other visitors are expected at the Singing Hills Recreation Center, Kiest Park, White Rock Lake, the Dallas Arboretum, Bachman Lake and other areas of the city.
Trash and recycling pickups for residents will be suspended next Monday due to the anticipated traffic issues, city sanitation officials said. They will resume on Tuesday and residents can expect their pickups to be delayed at least one day from their usual date.