CLEVELAND, Ohio — The solar eclipse is right around the corner, and with large turnouts expected in the City of Cleveland and the MetroPark, they are telling people to prepare and get to their location early.
Jay Reynolds has loved astronomy since he was young, so I think you can guess, rain or shine, his excitement for the eclipse is out of the world.
“So I’m excited for people, they're excitement and their joy because afterwards they'll say I had no idea it was going to be like that,” said Reynolds.
On April 8, Cleveland will sit in the solar eclipse path of totality that will last about 4 minutes. In that time, the moon will completely block the sun.
Cleveland has not seen and eclipse like this in 200 years and it won’t see another one until 2444. People are coming from all over to see it. Reynolds said he has all his gear with plans to watch it from Edgewater Park.
“We're treating this like a holiday, busy holiday — Memorial Day, Labor Day,” said Jacqueline Gerling, the Director of Communications for Cleveland Metroparks.
Gerling said they're expecting tens of thousands of people at all 18 of their Metro Parks. Though they don't have any events, all of their locations, including nature centers, golf courses and the zoo, will be open for regular hours, but camping out will not be allowed.
“We will have some of our naturalists on hand down at Edgewater Park who can talk with guests and explain to them exactly what's taking place as we start to experience the solar eclipse,” said Gerling.
For parking, their advice is simple—get there early.
“There might be some restrictions to vehicle access once the parking lots reach capacity,” said Gerling.
The city also recommends the same with any location viewers are attending.
“Well, we are anticipating that this is going to be a Browns game, a Guardians game, a Saint Patrick's Day Parade and a Cavs game all rolled into one,” said Gordon Holmes, the Traffic Commissioner for the Cleveland Division of Police.
On Monday, there will be road closures and parking bans beginning as early as 9 a.m. CPD is also telling drivers to pack their cars with the expectation of major traffic delays
“Have a full tank of gas, have food and water in your vehicle for your travels. We look at if you have chronic diseases, make sure you have your medications with you—at least a couple of doses,” said Nicole Carlton, the Assistant Director for the Department of Public Safety.
For Reynolds, traffic is the least of his worries, and he plans to pack snacks.
“Even though this thing ends at 4:30 p.m. I’m not planning to be home until eight o'clock. I don't care, you know, it's worth it,” said Reynolds.
His focus is on when the clock hits 3:13 p.m.
“What I'm going to focus on during totality for that nearly four minutes—depending on where you're at—I will be looking for the planet Venus, the planet Mercury, maybe Jupiter—very easy to see. Also, there is a comet in the sky which you may or may not see,” said Reynolds.
Mark Johnson let our viewers know about these other celestial bodies visible during the eclipse last month in a video that received over 2.5 million views on TikTok:
Reynolds hopes everyone experiences a moment they'll never forget.
“You're sharing a piece of history that we're all sharing, share it with someone that you like or at least tolerate,” said Reynolds.
Road closures and parking bans
Here is the current list of road closures and parking bans in Cleveland, from the city's eclipse information page:
- Route 2 Westbound ramps will be closed at I-90. All other ramps to the Shoreway will be open in both directions. The following road closure and parking information is subject to change as needed. Please check back for updates.
- Route 2 Westbound ramps will be closed at I-90. All other ramps to the Shoreway will be open in both directions.
- Alfred Lerner Way/Erieside will be closed from W 3rd to E 9th. There will still be access to the Great Lakes Science Center garage from W 3rd St.
- E 9th North of Erieside will be closed; both sides of E 9th Street from Erieside to the cul-de-sac will be a food truck zone.
- St. Clair and Lakeside will be a No Parking/No Stopping Zone from W 9th to E 9th.
- W 3rd, W 6th, and W 9th will be No Parking/No Stopping zones North from Superior.
- Huron and Prospect west of E 9th to Ontario will also be No Parking/No Stopping zones.
- W 25th from the Shoreway to Lorain will be a No Parking/No Stopping zone.
- W 25th from Clark to I-71 will be a No Parking/No Stopping zone. (hospital access)
- Euclid Ave from Chester to Mayfield will be a No Parking/No Stopping zone. (hospital access)
See maps of the closures here:
- Downtown Road Closure Map
- Great Lakes Science Center Road Closure Map
- Highway Closure Map
- Hospital Road Closure Map
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Total Eclipse in Cleveland: City shares road closures, parking bans and other safety information
