Traffic on Oregon’s major highways has already come to a standstill as eager tourists flood into the state for prime eclipse-viewing.
The traffic jams started on Wednesday, August 16th, and remained an issue across the state on Thursday afternoon, as reported by the Prineville Police Department.
This influx in traffic comes a full 5 days before the eclipse, which will occur on Monday, August 21st.
One particularly congested area is Highway 26 near Prineville, which was packed with travelers headed towards the “Symbiosis Festival” located in the Ochoco National Forest.
The Prineveville Police Department wrote the following warning on Facebook late Wednesday evening:
Traffic Report—DELAYS FROM PRINEVILLE TO SYMBIOSIS!
Those headed to the Symbiosis on Highway 26 East, expect lengthy delays from just a couple miles east of Prineville all the way to the event. Those headed to Fossil and haven’t left yet you should strongly consider an alternate route on highways 84/97 to 206 or 26/216/197 to 218. If your stuck out on the roadway please stay in your vehicles, do not drive in the wrong lane of travel, and try and be patient. We have already had a couple of motorcycle crashes and Life Flight sent to the area. Drive Safe.
“Event coordinators are working fast to get people into the event, and will work all night and into tomorrow to do so,” the Prineville Police Department added.
Traffic at a complete standstill from Ochoco Reservoir heading east. People out of their cars relaxing. pic.twitter.com/DdurIZ9Qsp
— Ochoco NF (@OchocoNatForest) August 17, 2017
The Oregon Department of Transportation urges travelers to “leave early, be patient, and be prepared.”
Other major jams caused by “eclipse travelers” include:
- US 395 between Dale and Middle Fork Lane
- US 395 and Highway 26 between Burns and John Day
- Highway 97 in La Pine
Officials are calling the eclipse the “biggest traffic even in Oregon history.”
Oregon-resident Stacey Hoosier shared the following footage of the traffic congestion on Thursday afternoon.