Updated at 8:06 a.m.
GUILFORD — The Vermont Welcome Center at Interstate 91’s southern gateway has reported up to a threefold jump in visitor traffic preceding Monday’s eclipse.
The state’s most utilized rest area saw traveler numbers rise 200% Friday, from 612 a year ago to 1,825; then spike 225% Saturday, from 1,089 to 3,541; and increase 168% Sunday, from 1,837 to 4,924, tallies show. Visits to other state travel centers were also up, according to Vermont Emergency Management spokesperson Mark Bosma — particularly those in Sharon, Waterford and Bradford.
“It’s hard to tell if this is all eclipse driven or not, but the traffic heading north is tremendous,” said Lisa Sanchez, manager of the Vermont Department of Buildings and General Services’ information centers division. “This is a perfect storm due to the fact that we had a foot and a half of fresh snow on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.”
The state Agency of Transportation has estimated that up to 160,000 visitors may travel to Vermont in as many as 60,000 vehicles, all to join residents in seeing a partial eclipse starting Monday at 2:14 p.m., a 3-minute total eclipse in some parts of the state at 3:26 p.m., and then back to a partial eclipse until 4:37 p.m.
A state study conducted with the University of Vermont’s Transportation Research Center found that most drivers headed to Vermont would come from the south, particularly Massachusetts and Connecticut. Amy Tatko, a spokesperson for the state transportation agency, said Sunday that officials were also expecting an increase in volume from the west, given that eclipse-viewing conditions in New York were expected to be less optimal than in Vermont.
Then again, weekend travelers playing license plate bingo at the Guilford welcome center could spot every state along the East Coast, as well as such bonus points as Texas.
Bob and Barbara Gelmetti, two of many from the parking lot’s most represented state of Connecticut, booked a short-term rental in Barre a year ago after discovering hotel rooms along the path of totality in Burlington were already “cost prohibitive.”
“Why do people go to Times Square?” Bob Gelmetti said when asked for his reason for traveling. “To share the experience with others. This is an event.”
