If you’re traveling anywhere in Maine on Monday, you may want to watch out for eclipse chasers.
The Maine Department of Transportation has identified several roads where eclipse traffic will be heavy.
Mainers traveling on any of the following roads may want to find alternate routes or give themselves more time to get where they need to go.
Severe traffic
— Interstate 95 from Augusta to Waterville
Major traffic
— I-95 from Gray to Lewiston
— I-95 from Waterville to Newport
— I-295 from Portland to Freeport
— Route 4 south of Farmington
— Route 27 north of Farmington
— Route 201 in Jackman
Moderate traffic
— I-95 from Kittery to Augusta
— I-95 from Newport to Houlton
— I-295 from Freeport to Augusta
— Route 1 from Houlton to Caribou
— Route 201 from Waterville to Jackman
— Route 7 from Newport to Dover-Foxcroft
— Route 15 from Dover-Foxcroft to Greenville
— Route 2 from Bethel to Rumford
— Routes 4 and 27 in western Maine
Those are expected to be the busiest roads on Monday, with traffic at its highest just before and after the eclipse.
“The best advice we can give is to leave early, stay late, and drive with patience,” the Maine Department of Transportation said.
It’s also the start of Maine’s “fifth season” — mud season — so transportation officials cautioned travelers to not pull over on road shoulders to avoid getting stuck.
