MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) – The final numbers are still out, but Vermont state officials Wednesday estimated upward of 160,000 visitors descended on the Green Mountain State for Monday’s total solar eclipse.
“From my perspective, the event lived up to the hype and then some,” said Gov Phil Scott Wednesday. He says by nearly all accounts, months of planning for the total solar eclipse paid off “Maybe more vehicles and people than we’ve ever seen in Vermont, especially in a condensed time period. But it seems like everyone was prepared and took it in stride.”
VTrans is still crunching the numbers, but they say 60,000 vehicles crossed into Vermont. That doesn’t include Vermonters who drove north to reach totality.
Airport ramps were also packed with 248 planes landing at state airports and two planes taking off every 60 seconds. Amtrak service was full through the weekend. “Over a sustained number of days like that, it’s unusual,” said Vermont Transportation Secretary Joe Flynn.
The crush of visitors snarled traffic in and out of Vermont for hours, slowing traffic at its peak to five mph on I-89. And there were only 10 crashes reported.
“To put this in perspective, just how few that is — especially given the volume — during three recent snowstorms on March 22 to 23, AOT was involved in six crashes, all of which we were struck by others,” Flynn said.
The state’s 16 welcome centers saw 34,000 visitors, almost three times as many as a peak fall foliage weekend.
The huge migration of people was also influenced by some of the clearest skies in the country.
Businesses saw a huge boost in what’s normally the slowest time of the year. Final tax revenue numbers won’t be available until mid-May.
But leaders say one of the biggest benefits is the memories of Vermont many will take home. “Being in the path of totality for this eclipse will allow Vermont to build our brand awareness in a way that even the most robust marketing budget couldn’t achieve,” said Vt. Commerce Secretary Lindsay Kurrle.
A cosmic experience that brought thousands to Vermont communities.
The next total solar eclipse will cross the southern tip of Vermont five decades from now.