Although the historic total solar eclipse is still days away, some highways in the Pacific Northwest have already turned into a traffic nightmare.
Thursday, Oregon State Police posted stunning aerial photos to Twitter, showing 15 miles of bumper-to-bumper traffic along Highway 26.
#Oreclipse traffic backed up for 15 miles on HWY 26, all the way to Prineville now. Photos from our fish and wildlife plane. pic.twitter.com/FYOoNOOgXX
— Oregon State Police (@ORStatePolice) August 17, 2017
Police say the standstill is due to people headed to the Symbiosis eclipse festival.
Here in Missouri, MoDOT says the state is expecting over 1 million visitors for the eclipse, though the traffic hasn't started picking up yet. Anyone planning to be out on the roads on Monday should give themselves ample time to get to their destination.
Missouri is expecting over 1 million out-of-state visitors for the total solar eclipse on Aug. 21! #Eclipse2017 #MOEclipse pic.twitter.com/tIVJbiCXIr
— MoDOT (@MoDOT) August 16, 2017
Southern Illinois is also preparing for an influx of visitors. IDOT is warning folks to exit the roadway during the eclipse, and to not pull over to look at the eclipse from the shoulder of the road.
We're working to make sure traffic keeps moving and that travel will be safe before, during and after #Eclipse2017! https://t.co/UmLthdHbGt pic.twitter.com/9xgmOnESTw
— IDOT (@IDOT_Illinois) August 2, 2017
No matter where you're viewing this historic event, the message is the same-- have fun, be safe, and give yourself plenty of time!