As Wyoming prepares to welcome visitors from across the globe for the solar eclipse in just seven days, law enforcement professionals are working with state and local agencies to implement strategies to promote public safety during the event.
“It is estimate that the state’s population may double as people travel to Wyoming to experience the eclipse,” says Natrona County Sheriff Gus Holbrook, a member of the board of the Wyoming Association of Sheriffs and Chiefs of Police, or WASCOP. “We are grateful to Governor Matt Mead, who has been working hard to make sure federal, state, and local agencies work together to safely accommodate all the visitors to our state.”
WASCOP officials explain, in a written release recently sent to media, that the Wyoming Department of Transportation is shutting down highway construction projects in the state for a few days leading up to, and following the eclipse. Through its Traffic Safety Project, WASCOP Says that they are working with the Wyoming Office of Highway Safety and the Governors’s Commission on Impaired DRiving to identify strategies to address traffic and other safety issues.
“We strongly encourage people to arrive at least one or two days early and stay within walking distance where where they will view the eclipse, to avoid getting caught in traffic jams,” Holbrook says. “While every effort will be made to keep traffic moving smoothly, trying to drive into the area the morning of the eclipse will likely result in experiencing it while sitting in the traffic jam.”
Holbrook went on to say that traffic laws will be strictly enforced, and driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs will not be tolerated.