BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – As soon as the eclipse ended, some travelers buckled up to head home, clogging up the roads.
According to the Vermont Agency of Transportation, congestion was as they expected.
With heavy volumes northbound through the morning and into the early afternoon, and then very heavy traffic on the interstates heading southbound immediately following the end of the eclipse with delays in several areas, mainly at on ramps, and on southbound state highways as well.
Officials closed several roads, with the popular beltline even becoming a parking lot.
Despite traffic, there were few issues on the road, except a bad crash on 189 heading north on the on-ramp to 89 north.
VTrans says they’ll have exact traffic numbers in the coming days.
While many chose to leave early, others decided to stay and enjoy after parties at City Hall Park, and back at their hotels.
Hilton Burlington General Manager Justin Chapman says all their rooms were booked up for months, and many chose to stay Monday night to avoid the rush out of town.
“We are sold out tonight, and there was only 80 departures out of 260, so a good majority stayed through tonight to enjoy Burlington for another night of the eclipse,” Chapman said.
Chapman said, overall, he felt the hotel managed the influx well.
“We did our best, and I think we did well as a city, and as a hotel, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience so we’re happy with how things turned out,” Chapman said.
For Vermont businesses like Local Maverick, the weekend boomed with customers.
“It was a much higher influx of people purchasing products, even during peak tourist season for sure,” Local Maverick owner Ryan Nakhleh said.
He said the boost in business will help local vendors like them grow.
“This is a great touchpoint, not only for our products but for people visiting Vermont, especially first time visitors to utilize this weekend as an initial touchpoint with Vermont, for them to come back,” Nakhleh said. “It’s been a really great opportunity and we hope that will create more and more repeat customers as we go forward with this weekend. So we think this will be a really great stepping point for getting products into more tourists hands.”
With towns and cities across the state flooded with customers, shops, restaurants and hotels are looking forward to feeling the effects of the spectacle’s boost.