Visit Erie urges residents to stay home and prepare as city braces for influx of eclipse visitors

John Oliver, president and CEO of Visit Erie, told council Erie is the only major Pennsylvania city in the path of totality for the April 8 total solar eclipse and urged residents to plan ahead to reduce congestion and safety risks.

"Erie is the only major Pennsylvania city lucky enough to be in the path of totality," Oliver said, and he provided a visitor projection range: "An estimated 56,000 to 200,000 visitors are anticipated to travel to Pennsylvania with the majority heading north to Erie." He warned that even the lower estimate could nearly double the city's population for the day and create unprecedented traffic congestion.

Oliver outlined the "shine" campaign with five recommendations for residents (reschedule appointments, have a plan, inform others, be Erie advocates and navigate traffic) and advised residents to avoid major roadways and leave the interstates to visitors. He also said Visit Erie is maintaining a public website (erieeclipse2024.com) with event listings and that the site will be used on eclipse day to post road-condition updates and closures.

Oliver said Visit Erie convened a year-and-a-half-long coordination committee including city and county representatives, state police, EMS and hotels; he said the county 911 center will be the central point for traffic and incident notifications on eclipse day.

Council thanked Visit Erie for the briefing and expressed appreciation for outreach to residents. Oliver emphasized the message again: when possible, residents should plan to stay home or avoid major routes to reduce congestion and safety risks.