Skip to main content

Seeking totality, many eclipse chasers hit traffic around New England

By Ava Berger Globe Correspondent,Updated April 8, 2024, 10:31 p.m.
Traffic on the way to NH for eclipse viewing, on Monday, April 8, 2024. (Matt Karolian/Globe Staff) Matt Karolian/Globe Staff

See more Globe coverage of the 2024 total solar eclipse.

In some parts of New England on Monday, the road to and from the path of totality looked like a parking lot.

Eager eclipse chasers, many headed north to prime viewing locations, found themselves in bumper-to-bumper traffic from Massachusetts to Vermont and Maine as the big event drew near.

“Seeking Totality,” posted a user on X, formerly Twitter. “The traffic has slowed to a crawl in Vermont. Accidents and chaos. We’re almost there. #Eclipse.”

In Maine, the department of Agriculture Conservation & Forestry recommended that drivers “pack an Eclipse Car Kit so that no one is hungry or bored while you are waiting.”

On social media, one person described the traffic as “Eclipse madness.”

The drive home appeared to be even worse.

Advertisement

Maine State Police posted a photo on social media showing traffic on Route 1 in Houlton backed up for 7 miles Monday evening.

“Please be patient and plan for delays,” State Police wrote in the post.

Many eager spectators claimed their prime viewing spots in parking lots and along local roads in Maine Monday morning.

Paul Merrill, the communications director at the Maine Department of Transportation, said the department has seen photos of people parking along the sides of roads, which they d not recommend because of the mud from last week’s storm.

“We don’t want people to drive on mud because they may end their eclipse experience with a call to the tow truck,” Merrill said.

In New Hampshire, there was heavy northbound traffic on Interstates 93 and 89 in the Concord, N.H., area by noon, according to New Hampshire State Police, which posted aerial footage of the slowdown.

“Wife got stuck in traffic this morning,” one person posted on X. “It took her an extra 45 minutes to do a 13-minute stretch of interstate...in NEW HAMPSHIRE.”

New Hampshire State Police later shared video that showed standstill traffic in the areas of Berlin and Gorham, and drivers were slowly moving along down I-93 in Concord as skygazers began their trek home on Monday evening.

Advertisement

In Vermont, around 8:30 a.m. traffic was “flowing smoothly” except on Interstate 91 in Westminster, according to a social media post from the Vermont Agency of Transportation Monday.

By 12:30 p.m., travelers on Interstate 89 from Sharon, Vt. to Stowe, Vt., were stuck in a gridlock with traffic “moving slowly,” according to the Vermont Agency of Transportation. The agency urged drivers to “be patient” and “do NOT stop on any roadway.”

The Vermont agency later reported heavy traffic on I-89 in the evening between Exit 16 in Colchester and the New Hampshire border, about 90 miles southeast. I-91 was also backed up between Exit 27 in Newport and Derby and Exit 15 in Fairlee.

“Please be patient as our visitors leave after viewing the eclipse,” the Vermont agency said.

The slow going wasn’t exclusive to New England, as traffic jams were also reported in other regions along the path of the eclipse.

X users also shared video of their Monday morning travels. One post showed signs in Maine telling drivers to “Be Patient Monday.”


Marianne Mizera, Steven Porter, and Nick Stoico of the Globe staff contributed to the reporting of this article.

Ava Berger can be reached at ava.berger@globe.com. Follow her @Ava_Berger_.