Solar Eclipse Traffic: What to expect in the Austin area

AUSTIN (KXAN) — One of the most common questions about the solar eclipse is about traffic expectations. KXAN Traffic Anchor Erica Brennes has details on where you can expect solar eclipse traffic to be heaviest.

Let's start in Austin where you'll have lots of people staying put to view the eclipse, but you'll also have folks coming through Austin from the east, headed west. You can expect people driving in from cities east of Austin, like Bastrop, Manor, La Grange, and Houston.

Many will pass right through Austin and continue heading west to cities like Fredericksburg, or Marble Falls.

For comparison, the City Of Austin is expected to get roughly one minute and 37 seconds of totality, meaning the sun will be completely covered by the earth's shadow.

But if you head down Hwy 290, you get more time in the path of totality. For instance, Dripping Springs is expected to get 2 minutes and 58 seconds. Johnson City should see 3 minutes and 58 seconds. Fredericksburg gets 4 minutes, 23 seconds.

All of those cities are located along U.S. Highway 290, so you can expect heavy traffic along that highway throughout the solar eclipse.

U.S. Hwy 281 is also expected to have heavier traffic on the solar eclipse day. That's because there are cities like Marble Falls, with 4 minutes and 13 seconds of totality, and Burnet, with 4 minutes and 20 seconds of solar eclipse totality expected.

Even Liberty Hill is slated to get 3 minutes and 51 seconds of totality. This means Hwy 183 headed to Liberty Hill and Hwy 290 between Liberty Hill and Burnet will be crowded.

One big thing to remember - you cannot just stop in the middle of the highway to catch a view of the eclipse.

"Our job is to keep the roadways open before, during and after the Eclipse. Open, however, does not always mean flowing," Bradley Wheelis, a spokesperson with the Texas Department of Transportation, said.

TxDOT has switched their highway signs to remind drivers about the solar eclipse on April 8 and to plan, by knowing your viewing location in advance so you're not tempted to park illegally to watch.

"Be prepared to spend some time in traffic because you will do not stop on the roadway to view the eclipse. Do not park on the shoulder and stay off the right of way to avoid damaging our beautiful wildflowers or sparking a wildfire," Wheelis said.

Drivers should be mindful of the extra people out and about looking up at the sky, possibly not paying attention to the vehicle traffic around them.

If you want to leave the driving to someone else, CapMetro is offering riders a way to enjoy the eclipse in Leander using the MetroRail.

The first departure from downtown to Leander is at 6:55 in the morning on Monday. It takes a little over an hour to get to Leander from downtown on the Red Line.

Once there, CapMetro is hosting an "Eclipse-nic" from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

They'll have complimentary eclipse glasses, and the first 250 guests will get lunch and picnic blankets.

They'll also have port-a-potties set up for the event. Leander is in the path of totality for three minutes and 32 seconds.