The Total Solar Eclipse is a week from today Monday, April 8. Arkansas towns are doing their best to prepare for the amount of people that will be coming into the state for a chance to see a total solar eclipse.

Arkansas Department of Transportation is looking at the possibility of up to 1.5 million visitors coming to the state for the eclipse.

Dramatic scientific background - full sun eclipse in dark red sky
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With so many people expected to be in Arkansas, this means more vehicles will be on the road. The more vehicles on the roads mean more traffic. The Arkansas Department of Transportation advises people to give themselves extra time to travel anywhere in the state. This is especially true if you live in one of the towns that's in the path of the eclipse.

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Visitors will start arriving late this week and into the weekend, by Monday, ARDOT says to prepare for delays on the highways and interstates of up to 5 to 7 hours.

Be sure to give yourself extra time to go to work or if you are attending any of the solar eclipse celebrations.

Urban traffic congestion sign saying Expect Delays
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ARDOT stated on their Facebook page they are expecting that most traffic will occur after the eclipse,

 Here's where we anticipate the heaviest traffic volumes in the immediate aftermath of the April 8 Eclipse.

 

ARDOT recommends that anyone who will be traveling to be sure and keep a few things in their car including keeping phones charged, something to drink, some snacks, and carry any medical items or medication you might need in case traffic is backed up for hours.

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ARDOT is predicting that routes from Little Rock and up into northwest Arkansas on Interstates 40, 49 and 65 will see the most traffic as people leave the state after the eclipse.

The map below shows where ARDOT is predicting the most traffic will be. Remember this is only a prediction but ARDOT wants you to be prepared.

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ARDOT used information from the states that were in the path of the Total Solar Eclipse in 2017 to help with this prediction map. They also used state park reservation data for the Eclipse, to help determine the travel patterns and peak travel dates and times.

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