BANDERA COUNTY, Texas – The Texas Department of Transportation has a message for those driving ahead of Monday’s eclipse: take caution and be prepared.
TxDOT is urging drivers to plan ahead and be patient. With an influx of people expected to pass through South Central Texas, it expects an increase in roadway congestion through Tuesday.
Drivers can use DriveTexas.org to help plan their trips and see real-time traffic updates. Electric car owners can use the U.S. Department of Energy’s charging map to find places to plug their vehicles in.
Ronny Brown said his electric vehicle charger is the only one for miles in the western portion of Bandera County.
“At least we’re prepared for it,” Brown said. “We’ve only got one, but at least we got something in case someone gets in a bind.”
Brown owns the Lost Maples Country Store in Vanderpool. His only charger for electric vehicles sits next to the only gas station in town. He said it’s likely he could run out of gas, so people stopping through his town should prepare just in case.
“I’m preparing for — not the worst but not the best, just in between,” Brown said.
It’s not just local drivers on the roadways this weekend. Saher Maswadi, the owner of Palata Auto Car Rentals, said all of his vehicles have been booked out for weeks ahead of the eclipse. He said most of his customers are coming from out of state.
“We were expecting a lot of calls,” Maswadi said. “We’re fully booked right now. That’s one thing. So even if they call us, we don’t have any.”
Other rental agencies across San Antonio are showing similar patterns. Many big-name rental companies have limited, if any, inventory through next week.
To read through other impacts we might see here in San Antonio because of the eclipse, click here.
More eclipse coverage from Your Eclipse Authority on KSAT: