'A beautiful afternoon': No major traffic issues reported as Erie hosts eclipse visitors

Authorities throughout Erie County spent many months planning for an anticipated population explosion brought on by the expected influx of tens of thousands of visitors who wanted to witness Monday afternoon's solar eclipse along its path of totality.

There were plenty of visitors, although estimated numbers are not yet available. But, by and large, the number of visitors wasn't as large as authorities were warned to expect, and those folks flowed into and out of the county with few issues, officials reported on Tuesday.

Many came to Erie by car, as expected. Area law enforcement officials said in January that they were warned by authorities in other states where total eclipses occurred in the past to expect total gridlock for many hours along major routes into and out of Erie. Everyone who comes to view an eclipse tends to leave at once when the event is over, they were told.

The only notable traffic jam reported after the moon passed the sun Monday afternoon was along the southbound lanes of Interstate 79. Bumper-to-bumper traffic was flowing at 10 to 15 mph in a 70 mph zone between Erie and south of Meadville for a few hours late Monday afternoon, said Lt. Gary Garman, patrol section supervisor for Pennsylvania State Police Troop E in Lawrence Park Township.

The congestion also contributed to some congestion along roads connecting to the interstate, as I-79 motorists weren't letting vehicles enter the highway from the various on-ramps, Garman said.

Garman said he expected the traffic jam to last until at least 8 p.m. Monday. But by 6 p.m., the gridlock was over, he said.

"Just back to normal holiday traffic," Garman said.

State police knew of only one non-reportable crash in all of Troop E, which covers Erie, Crawford, Venango and Warren counties, during the event, according to Garman.

Immediately following totality, there was expected heavy traffic at the I-79 and Interstate 90 interchange, according to Pennsylvania Department of Transportation spokeswoman Jill Harry. Traffic on I-79 backed up to West 26th Street, and on I-90 westbound traffic backed up to Peach Street, she said.

PennDOT also saw congestion at some intersections south of Erie, including at the I-79 interchange in Meadville, and witnessed a steady stream of traffic on Routes 19 and 97, Harry said. Traffic in those areas and on the interstates was slow, but kept moving, she noted.

Harry said preplanning with the various municipalities in the Erie region and the presence of state police on Monday were definitely contributing factors in moving traffic as efficiently as possible before and after the eclipse and in minimizing the number of crashes and other traffic incidents. Drivers also seemed to follow safety messages PennDOT posted on message boards throughout the region, she said.

The traffic flowing into Erie before the eclipse also wasn't as heavy as authorities anticipated. Some law enforcement officials reported on Monday morning that traffic was lighter than normal, and credited that in part on the closing of schools and some businesses for the eclipse.

Garman said he learned from others who were monitoring traffic Monday that a lot of motorists were exiting I-79 around the Meadville area to either watch the eclipse south of Erie County or to possibly take alternate routes north to avoid any possible traffic jams in the county.

Harry said PennDOT saw notable traffic tie-ups south of Interstate 80 and at the I-79/I-80 interchange late Monday morning and early afternoon. It would be speculation as to where that traffic was headed as a final destination, she said.

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Did weather play a role?

There was heavy traffic leaving Presque Isle State Park for about two hours following the eclipse, according to Harry. The Millcreek Police Department was able to assist with traffic by manning traffic signals near the park's entrance, she said.

With one way on to the park and one way off, Matt Greene, the park's operations director, was prepared Monday for midmorning gridlock.

That gridlock never materialized as visitors to the park — a high percentage of them from out of town — arrived gradually up until the moment the eclipse reached totality at 3:16 p.m. By then, Greene estimated there were about 4,500 cars on the peninsula, which he said is similar to a busy weekend day in the summer.

"If it would have gotten to that point earlier in the day, we would probably have closed off traffic," he said.

As it turned out, the crowd was manageable. And even though many of those visitors left at the same time, they were able to clear out of the park in a little over an hour.

"It worked out really well," he said. "I think PennDOT, state police and Millcreek police did a super job of getting traffic moving south onto the interstate. It was a constant movement of cars."

All told, about 6,550 cars entered Presque Isle State Park Monday. Using a normal multiplier, that equates to about 23,000 visitors.

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"We were super impressed by the visitors we had," Greene said. "We had very minimal cleanup."

Millcreek Township Police Chief Carter Mook equated Monday afternoon's post-eclipse traffic to a busy holiday weekend. He said a focus of his department was in assisting travelers in leaving Presque Isle and other viewing spots in the township along Route 832, which is Peninsula Drive and Sterrettania Road.

Millcreek police changed the timing of the traffic lights at intersections along Route 832 to give travelers along the route more time to exit the area, Mook said. He said there was only one reported crash, which happened in the 700 block of Peninsula Drive.

"The traffic impact was a lot less severe. I think the weather forecast probably played a part in that," Mook said.

Erie Police Chief Dan Spizarny said he also thought the weather may have played a major role in limiting the number of visitors into the city and along the bayfront. It was cloudy in Erie for much of Monday morning and into Monday afternoon, and some light rain fell at times, but "it turned out to be a beautiful afternoon," he said.

Spizarny said he was prepared to shut down the Bayfront Parkway if the area became too crowded and all of the available parking was used up before the eclipse. But there was plenty of space left, and Erie police didn't have to shut down the roadway or initiate any of its other special traffic controls before and after the eclipse, he said.

"Traffic was flowing just fine," Spizarny said.

Fewer than anticipated visitors were also seen at the Erie International Airport. Officials prepared for upwards of 100 or more aircraft flying into the facility to view the eclipse, but only 28 planes arrived on Monday, Ian Bogle, the airport's director of public safety and facilities, said Tuesday.

The flow of planes Monday was a little step above normal business, Bogle said, but everyone had a good time and there were no incidents or issues.

Staff writer Jim Martin contributed to this story.

Contact Tim Hahn at thahn@timesnews.com. Follow him on X @ETNhahn.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Flow of visitors in Erie goes better than planned for Monday's eclipse