The Essex County Board of Supervisors April 1 decided to close the government on April 8 so employees traveling to their jobs in Elizabethtown won’t add to the predicted traffic problem. That means Essex County Transportation will not be running two shuttles that day, according to department coordinator Doreen Abrahamsen.

Those routes are the Cascade Express, which connects the communities of Lewis, Elizabethtown, Keene, Lake Placid, Ray Brook and Saranac Lake; and the Mountain Valley Shuttle, which connects the communities of Lewis, Elizabethtown, Keene, Jay, AuSable Forks, Wilmington and Lake Placid. Some residents use these bus routes to commute for work.

The Placid XPRSS shuttle around the village of Lake Placid, however, will continue to operate as normal on Monday, according to Abrahamsen, but there is no guarantee that the bus will stick to its normal schedule, due to the increase in traffic.

“We’ll do the best we can to keep things moving,” she said on April 1.

The Placid XPRSS bus schedule can be found online at essexcountyny.gov/transportation.

PlacidXPRSS

As of Tuesday, Franklin County Public Transportation was expecting to run its Franklin/Essex County Adirondack Route as scheduled on April 8, according to Transportation Coordinator Tonya Allen. It is not clear whether that would change if the Franklin County Board of Legislature decides to close the government offices in Malone for the eclipse. Board members are expected to discuss the eclipse during their meeting on Thursday, April 4.

The Adirondack Route connects Malone in the northern part of the county to the communities of Paul Smiths and Saranac Lake in the southern part of the county and Lake Placid in Essex County. Some Franklin County residents use this bus route to commute to work in Lake Placid.

The Adirondack Route schedule can be found at franklincountyny.gov/departments/transportation (under documents).

ADK Route Schedule revised 3.21.24

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Traffic tips

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When the Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism, based in Lake Placid, held its final community call on Thursday, March 28 about the solar eclipse, the public was given an update on the predicted traffic patterns for the events as thousands of visitors are expected to converge on the Olympic Region from Saturday through Tuesday. Some of the highlights are listed below, as detailed in the meeting notes from ROOST.

– Traffic is expected to significantly increase in the days leading up to the eclipse.

– The morning hours of Monday, April 8, will be heavy as people work to get to designated viewing areas before the start of the eclipse (partial eclipse begins shortly after 2 p.m.).

– Regional airports are reporting increased flights on Monday as well. A reminder that drones are not permitted near airports.

– The greatest traffic will be post-eclipse — starting around 4:30 p.m.

– Following the eclipse, be prepared for slow-moving traffic and the potential of rerouting.

– In areas with viewing locations, localized traffic congestion and backups are likely to occur as vehicles attempt to leave simultaneously.

– Heavy traffic on roads leading away from popular viewing locations and to major highways (I-81 and I-87) may result in gridlock traffic and the potential of rerouting.

– Residents are encouraged to avoid unnecessary travel. If you choose to travel, be prepared with a full tank of gas, extra layers, water, food, and prescription medications.

– Walking or riding bikes is encouraged and will most likely expedite your return trip.