As soon as the eclipse ended, heavy traffic began Monday on routes out of Idaho and Wyoming.
Highway maps showed congestion between Idaho Falls and Pocatello, as well as around Alpine, Wyoming.
“We don’t expect large traffic congestion," said Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Todd Royce. "Our main goal is just to keep traffic flowing and get people home safely.”
Utahns grabbed their sun-viewing glasses and headed to Idaho and Wyoming where they could see a total solar eclipse above cloudless skies. In much of Utah, the moon covered around 90 percent of the sun. In Salt Lake City it was about 92 percent.
Tanya Platt and her sweetheart decided skip the totality traffic. Instead, they set up camp chairs outside their Salt Lake City bungalow and with some sparkling juice and trail mix.
“We won’t get full coverage," she said, "but it’s still pretty cool to look up and see it. So, we’re just excited, having a good time today.”
UHP beefed up afternoon and evening staffing to cope with the influx, which was expected to continue into the night.