With just a month left before the Aug. 21 total solar eclipse, the Oregon Department of Transportation is gearing up for a projected 1 million travelers to hit the state's highways.

Less than three minutes of darkness on the morning of Aug. 21 could mean up to a week of congestion on roads leading into the 60-mile wide path of totality that stretches across the state. ODOT spokesman Don Hamilton compared the potential crush to "a football day on I-5, where the Ducks and Beavers are both playing at home, but multiplied by 10."

ODOT is preparing to keep the roads as clear as possible in the days leading up to and after the eclipse. The state will halt road construction, paving and non-emergency maintenance work during peak eclipse traffic. Permits for over-width trucks will be suspended from noon Aug. 19 until 12:01 a.m. Aug. 22.

State agencies are also warning about the increased risk for wildfires. The influx of cars on highways surrounded by dry grass and vegetation makes parts of central Oregon particularly susceptible.

The expected gridlock would make responding to a wildfire particularly difficult. Selected weigh stations could be repurposed into staging areas for emergency vehicles to cut down on response time.

"One of our biggest concerns is that roads get so crowded, we won't be able to get emergency vehicles down the road," Hamilton said. "If all the cars are stopped dead, where do they go?"

ODOT is also worried about drivers stepping out of their cars to watch the eclipse from the highway if they don't make it to a good viewing spot on time. Rumors of visitors coming in from neighboring California and Washington the morning of could further clog up the roads, especially in the Portland metro area that already sees busy commuter traffic.

"It might be wise to decide to work from home," Hamilton said. "The concerns are not just inside the path of totality."

To avoid being stuck in the car as the eclipse is overhead, ODOT advises starting early in a well-stocked vehicle. Expect your roadtrip to take "a lot longer" than normal. And don't expect to pick up supplies on the way, Hamilton said, as small towns like Madras are expecting tens of thousands of visitors that could leave store shelves emptied of food and water.

Oregon State Police Sergeant Kyle Hove said that people should plan their routes, expect heavy traffic and check tripcheck.com for updates on traffic conditions. Oregon Emergency Management urged people to be prepared for loss of cell service as more visitors increase the load on networks.

Rental cars from Portland International Airport are sold out for the days surrounding the eclipse, Port of Portland spokeswoman Kama Simonds said. August is expected to be the busiest month in the history of the airport, Simonds said, although not just because of the eclipse.

"If you don't already have your ticket, you're not likely to find a lot of space left," she said.

Getting out of the path of totality could be worse than getting in, Hamilton said. While drivers might trickle into Oregon in the days and weeks leading up to Monday, Hamilton said that the crush of everyone trying to leave immediately could result in gridlock on par with an enormous ice storm, "but without the ice and salt."

The influx of visitors would place a huge amount of stress on an infrastructure system that's already strained, Hamilton said.

"This is one occasion where I hope I'm wrong," he said. "This is a weeklong event in terms of traffic, if we get the number of vehicles projected, but maybe it'll be like Y2K and nothing happens."

Source: NASA

-- Annie Ma

@anniema15