Iconic N.B. covered bridge will be blocked to traffic during total solar eclipse

Traffic will be blocked from crossing the world’s longest covered bridge in New Brunswick on Monday afternoon as a total solar eclipse passes overhead.

The Hartland Covered Bridge will be closed to vehicles between noon and 6 p.m.

“It’s just to control traffic and to avoid any mishaps with people who aren’t familiar with the protocols of getting on or off the bridge,” says Rob Webber, Hartland’s chief administrative officer.

Before vehicles can proceed on the 391-metre span, drivers must wait on each side of the bridge for traffic to clear before proceeding.

“The easiest way to prevent any issues is to simply just close the bridge, so it doesn’t create any issues with a bottleneck downtown,” says Webber.

Vehicles will be redirected to the nearby Hugh John Flemming Bridge to cross the Saint John River.

“For us, it’s an all hands on deck kind of day,” says Webber. “Our staff will be used for traffic control and placed around areas where there will be designated parking, and on streets to direct traffic.”

A public viewing event titled ‘Total Eclipse of the Hartland’ has been organized for that afternoon at the community school.

Webber says enthusiasm about the event has grown locally in the last few weeks, but it’s “anyone’s guess” as to how many visitors will travel to the area – a prime location within the spectacle’s path of totality.

“We don’t have any special intelligence on what the numbers will be, but we’ve heard estimates of several thousands up to 10,000 in Carleton County,” says Webber.

New Brunswick’s Emergency Measures Organization is monitoring the event, with a focus on incoming crowds.

“Certainly there’s been an increase in hotel bookings, so you know some people are coming,” says N.B. EMO spokesperson Geoffrey Downey. “But it’s really a question of how many people are coming from maybe Nova Scotia, or (driving) in for the day from parts of Quebec.”

Downey says people driving anywhere within Monday’s path of totality should prepare for the possibility of delays.

“So making sure people have a full tank of gas if they’re heading out,” says Downey. “And making sure they have some snacks and water in the car, because there could certainly be long lines of traffic.”

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