During the Texas Transportation Commission’s March 28th meeting, commissioners received an overview by staff of TxDOT’s preparedness plan for the upcoming Solar Eclipse on April 8th. TxDOT staff noted that there are expected to be a million or more people to visit the state to see the eclipse. This will result in a “substantial increase in traffic volumes on our major corridors.” Specifically, in Austin, I-35, SH-71, US-290, US-183, and other major corridors could see gridlock. TxDOT is treating this as an emergency event and are working with local entities to prepare.
During a press conference, Ken Snipes, Austin’s director of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, noted Austin has several major events this weekend alongside additional eclipse traffic. Snipes compared traffic conditions to an F1 weekend or the number of people in town for South by Southwest.
Additionally, during the Public Utility Commission’s most recent public meeting, ERCOT’s Woody Rickerson provided the commissioners with their solar eclipse plan/projections. He noted the solar eclipse will occur from 12:10 PM and 3:10 PM with overall solar output being around 7% at peak eclipse. ERCOT will continuously send out market notices and updates as we get closer to April 8th.