Oregon National Guard to help with Madras eclipse traffic

With thousands of travelers expected to descend on Madras for the total solar eclipse, ODOT is bringing in extra help for traffic control downtown. A team of Oregon National Guard engineers will be on hand in Madras to help with traffic on Aug. 21, ODOT officials said Friday.

According to ODOT District 10 Manager Jim Scholtes, “We are pretty sure that Madras will be flooded with cars and pedestrians. We want some extra help at key intersections to help with the crush and the Guard has offered their services. We took them up on the offer.”

Motorists and pedestrians can expect to see uniformed guardsmen and women at the signalized intersections along both sides of the U.S. Highway 97 corridor in Madras.