BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — The April 8 total solar eclipse is just over a month away, but Monroe County safety officials say now is the time to start planning.
The county and Bloomington in particular will be in-person participants, with officials saying Wednesday they expect about 300,000 people to show up for the event.
Keeping all these people safe is a massive logistical operation, they said.
“There's going to be a lot of traffic and people are expecting to get to their final destination by a certain time, and that might not happen,” said Sgt. Kevin Goetz of the Indiana State Police.
Government agencies across the board said traffic was their biggest concern. State police said the main focus of the day will be interstates and state highways. Sergeant Goetz said people should be prepared to wait.
“It's going to take some time to get everyone out of Bloomington and to their final destination,” said Sgt. Goetz said.
Roads in urban areas are also expected to be congested. The Bloomington Police Department said it is preparing to limit patrols to bicycle and foot patrols.
“We're spreading out our personnel in case we find ourselves in a situation where we can't travel by car, and we have officers all over the city,” Chief Mike Dyhoff said.
The sheer number of people officials anticipate could make communication difficult. All these cell phones strain the system and can result in limited or non-existent service.
“The plan is to shut down cell phones, or at least slow them down,” IU Public Safety Director Benjamin Hunter said. “But we even planned for an internet connection here.”
The last time there was a total solar eclipse in Indiana was before anyone around today was alive, so officials openly admit they are planning for the unknown.
Much of the preparation is based on previous city and town experience.
Hunter and Goetz both have experience with large events like the Indianapolis 500, but they note that planning for this type of event is different.
“[The Indianapolis 500 is] A long-term event. We know that people will leave after the event. We know there’s going to be traffic congestion,” Hunter said. “The difference here is that people gather the weekend before.”
Bloomington Mayor Kelly Thomson announced that all city halls would be closed for the day and employees would work remotely.
The city's police department will require all police officers to be on duty on the day of the eclipse, and the fire department plans to bring in administrative staff for temporary staffing.
Despite the expected headaches, officials are still encouraging people to visit Bloomington and Monroe counties to experience a once-in-a-lifetime celestial phenomenon.
More information about the event and safety can be found at Visit Bloomington.