In Georgia, Eclipse Was Pretty And Traffic Was A Nightmare

ATLANTA, GA — In the far reaches of north Georgia, the total solar eclipse on Monday was an awe-inspiring sight to behold — a glowing astronomical light show that many in the Peach State won't see again in their lifetimes. The drive home? Well, that was another story.

The highways that connect metro Atlanta to the mountainous regions to the north, which just happened to fall into the 100 percent "totality" zone for Monday's eclipse, turned into slow-and-go parking lots Monday evening, as tens of thousands of motorists tried to make their way home after watching the eclipse.

See Also: What It's Like Under A Total Solar Eclipse

Trips that usually would take maybe a couple of hours took many Atlanta-area drivers twice that, as state traffic officials reported enormous amounts of traffic in north Georgia.

The Georgia Department of Transportation said more than 53,000 drivers traveled to the state's northernmost counties so they could be in the totality zone — where Monday's eclipse of the sun would be 100 percent.

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Normally free-flowing north Georgia roadways like State Route 14/U.S. 441 and State Route 2/U.S. 76 got slammed as metro Atlantans and others flocked to places like Rabun, White, Habersham, Towns and Union counties to watch the eclipse. Interstates 75 and 85 — which are prone to backups on the best of days — saw slow-rolling, bumper-to-bumper traffic, too.

In a social media post, the DOT said that congestion was made worse by two accidents on Interstate 85 in Jackson County. Transportation officials limited construction in the region on Monday in anticipation of the crowds. But that could only help so much.

"We hope the thrill of the eclipse wasn't spoiled by traffic," the DOT said in the post.

We all know metro Atlantans like to complain about traffic. So you can bet they took to social media to do so Monday evening. Here's a sample of some of the traffic-related posts that made the rounds Monday:

What was your traffic experience like on Eclipse Day? Let us know in the comments.

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Photo courtesy Georgia State Patrol