NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. — With just under three weeks to go until the total solar eclipse, let’s go through the checklist - water, snacks, appropriate clothing, glasses and patience. That last item is what New York officials are stressing you pack, especially if you plan on watching the Eclipse at a big event.

New York state officials are taking the lessons learned from other states that were centerstage for an eclipse event and implementing those into their plan to keep New Yorkers and visitors safe. While we look up, taking in what will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience, the boots on the ground so to speak, will be keeping a close eye on traffic. 

"Keep traffic moving that day, so if there are accidents, when there are accidents, if there are disabled vehicles, get them to the side of the road, keep traffic flowing after they've left the eclipse," Jackie Bray, commissioner of the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, said.

Bray says eclipse planning started 18 months ago.

"I remember late in 2022, you know, getting a note that said, 'Can your agency co-chair a committee on the eclipse?'" Bray recalled. "And I said 'sure when is it?' And they said, 'well, April 8, 2024,' and I was like '2023?' And they were like, 'no, no.'"

Parts of New York are expected to see half a million to a million new faces. Bray says if those people all plan on leaving at once, gridlock is a possibility.

"What we're planning to avoid is gridlock that gets dangerous, like in other states in 2017," Bray said. "One thing that they saw was that people got stuck on the roads for 6 hours, 8 hours, 12 hours. At that point, if you're in my job, you're thinking about how do we deliver water, how do we deliver food, how do we make sure people aren't running out of gas?"

How do you get the vulnerable, like young kids and the elderly out of the traffic jam? Bray says they’ve modeled out what daily traffic looks like, then accounted for extra wheels, beyond the numbers they see for the state’s busiest travel days.

"We’ve asked all of the gas stations to top off," Bray said. "You don't want our gas stations to run out of gas. So many of our gas stations are actually always sort of 50% full."

There will be porta potties at rest stops, too. Road construction will also be suspended.

"The Olympic Committee up in Lake Placid is pulling people off the ski slopes about an hour before the eclipse because we do expect on those slopes to see a flash freeze during the eclipse," Bray said.

Then there’s emergency services and making sure they have enough support and a clear path. That includes the side of the road during the eclipse.

"We don't want somebody that has no emergency lighting on their car to pull over on the side of the road when they don't have to be there, go into a parking lot, go into a business," Trooper James O’Callaghan, NYSP PIO, said. "The last place you want to be is on the side of the road."

Trooper O’Callaghan says to use common sense and think of others on the day of the solar phenomenon.  

"Don't put other people at risk if alcohol or, you know, marijuana, is part of your festivities in a backyard or maybe you're somewhere else, don't just get in your car and go driving," O'Callaghan said. 

"I would say the biggest thing is, pack your patience," he added. 

And perhaps a few layers of clothing too.

"Early April in New York could be anything from a beautiful 65-degree day to, you know, a snowstorm that drops two feet of snow," Bray smiled.