Solar Eclipse

[Great-Kazoo]

Headed out this weekend to NE. Planning to stay with family overnight, and then head back West to see the show somewhere in between North Platte and Broken Bow. I'm hoping if we leave right after, we'll beat most of the people headed back West leaving from Grand Island, Kearney, Hastings, Lincoln, etc. I was originally planning on heading out Sunday, but I'm hearing a lot of people telling me to come Saturday instead if I don't want to end up in a parking lot. Hoping it's worth 12 hours in the car for 2.5 mins...

The DOT signs on 25 are advising drivers to plan on long traffic delays, starting friday. We decided to stay here, between boarding the pups, fuel and food for a 2-3 day trip. Plus who knows how many people on every north/south road. The 4-5% difference in totality isn't worth the hassle

[Eric P]

Important Information about Solar Eclipse Event

CDOT Team:

In preparation for the upcoming eclipse event, we as team CDOT need to take the following steps in ensuring that we do all we can to keep the traveling public safe and moving through our roadways:

1) Engineering/Construction: No CONSTRUCTION OR LANE CLOSURES ON MAINLINE (work off mainline that doesn’t impede flow of the roadway can continue at this time) 8:00 p.m. (sundown) 8/18 through 8:00 p.m. (sundown) 8/22 for the following roadways:

a. I-25 US-24 (Colorado Springs) to Wyoming border

b. I-76

c. SH-287

d. SH-71 Limon to Nebraska Border

e. I-70 SH-9 to SH-71

f. Other closures as additional data develops or at the discretion of the Regional Transportation Director

2) Maintenance/Operations: No oversize permitted vehicles from 8:00 p.m. (sundown) 8/18 through 8:00 p.m. (sundown) 8/22 on all state highways north of HWY 24 to the KS line (this includes I-70), and all state highways east of HWY 9 to the WY border. This restriction does NOT apply to:

a. Permitted LVC combinations;

b. Permitted vehicles that are overweight ONLY and are able capable of maintaining a minimum speed of 40 mph on a flat grade. (This includes such permit types as Non-Interstate Overweight Divisible load and Annual Overweight permits.);

c. Oversize/Overweight permitted loads where the width of the vehicle/load does not exceed 14’, between the hours of . Vehicles must meet all lighting requirements as directed in 2 CCR 601-4.;

d. Permitted OSOW vehicles operating on non-interstate state highways solely within the boundaries of a local municipality. Operation on local roadways requires the authorization of the local jurisdiction.

We will be standing up the emergency management structure for the weekend. This means the incident commander (to be named) will be in charge of our response. Regular calls for identified staff will occur starting at and throughout the weekend into the following week. Operations will be tracking congestion, incidents, and flow to update signs to advise traffic as appropriate.

We at CDOT will do everything we can to make sure that thousands of people can move as safely as possible to and from the eclipse path.

Thank you to all staff and remember to be safe,

Joshua Laipply
Chief Engineer

[Eric P]

The above email seems like a complete overreaction from CDOT management or from the governor.

Suck for those who drive for a living.

[68Charger]

The above email seems like a complete overreaction from CDOT management or from the governor.

Suck for those who drive for a living.

Like it's not going to suck for them regardless...best to plan to be on staycation this weekend until next Wed.

[Great-Kazoo]

The above email seems like a complete overreaction from CDOT management or from the governor.

Suck for those who drive for a living.

If there's massive traffic jams and someone dies in an accident, due to emergency responders unable to get to them. Who will you blame?

25 is a parking lot for bronco games, this is (for some) a once in a lifetime event. I know a family (with paperwork) from south of de border who drove here for it. Think they're the only people from out of state, or the country heading north?

[Eric P]

I'll blame no one.

[Great-Kazoo]

N-Bound 25 today was close to a parking lot from arapahoe to the Hwy 14, ft collins exit.

[clodhopper]

N-Bound 25 today was close to a parking lot from arapahoe to the Hwy 14, ft collins exit.

My wife and I decided years ago that we will vacation on non-holiday times and spend holidays at home. I hate fighting the herds. I am fine seeing a 96% eclipse from town. I don't have any illusions that 4% additional will be a life changing or spiritual event for me. And even if it was a self-redefining moment, it would all be washed away during the road battle to return home highlighted by flipped birds, gnashed teeth and ulcerific traffic.

[hurley842002]

My wife and I decided years ago that we will vacation on non-holiday times and spend holidays at home. I hate fighting the herds.

Sounds like a good plan, that is what we do as well, also why I like days off during the week.

[clodhopper]

Sounds like a good plan, that is what we do as well, also why I like days off during the week.

We celebrate a holiday on the day that works for us. For example, we celebrate Thanksgiving on Friday, as it gives us a whole day to prep food and kids get to go to significant others families, then everyone is at our place at once. Birthdays are always celebrated on the weekend before or after, and the birthday person gets the whole weekend instead of one day. Little things like that make life so much less stressful and the holiday is much more appreciated.

We have gone camping on Thanksgiving weekend in years past. Prepped the conventional holiday meal the weekend before, converted it into casseroles and other pre-made formats, loaded up and spent 4 days in a place normally jammed but completely deserted on that weekend. Usually, the ranger or manager gives us the keys to the place, his phone number and heads off to be with his family and we watch the place for him while we are there. Pretty neat experience.