A once-in-a-lifetime celestial happening has led to nightmarish traffic jams, as tens of thousands of people across the US clogged the highways during their return home from viewing the total solar eclipse.
Shortly after the totality ended incrementally across a swath of the country on Monday, viewers took to the roads and slowed traffic to a sluggish pace.
In Indiana — which was almost completely covered by the totality and was the destination of choice for many watchers — traffic ground to a standstill on parts of Interstate 65 and 67 as the totality passed, the Indianapolis Star reported.
Traffic jams were exacerbated by the fact that so many drivers had pulled off into rest stops across the state to watch the eclipse that they reached capacity, leading to backups as they all got back on the road, Indiana State Police Sgt. John Perrine said in an X post.
Illinois also saw an uptick in severe slowdowns and even crash reports after the eclipse passed, the state’s Department of Transportation said.
In the northeast, Vermont roads were nearly empty as the totality passed overhead, WCAX reported, but the roads filled up within minutes of the eclipse ending, leading to traffic jams that were heaviest in the Burlington area.
Photos outside Columbus, Ohio, from the Columbus Dispatch showed long lines of cars stretching down the southbound side of US 23 as residents headed back into the city.
In some places, the traffic preceded the eclipse as people made a last dash to catch the eclipse before it arrived.
Michigan saw such traffic as people tried to speed south to catch the 3 p.m. totality in Ohio, leading to huge jams on Interstate 75, Click On Detroit reported.
Down south, Arkansas saw traffic build as soon as the eclipse passed, according to 4029 News.
In New York City, intersections became jammed during the city’s eclipse as people filled the streets to catch whatever glimpses of the sun they could between the tall towers — leading to irate drivers laying on their horns as the crowds largely ignored them.