City of Watertown upping security for eclipse masses

WATERTOWN, N.Y. (WWTI) — They’ve prepared for the masses.

In just under two weeks, the City of Watertown will host one of the largest events in its history: A viewing of the 2024 total solar eclipse.

“So far we have had people from as far away as Europe, Italy, South America, and across the country register to come to this event,” Watertown Mayor Sarah Compo-Pierce confirmed.

Mayor Pierce joined city officials for a press conference to address various priorities.

“We’ve never dealt with anything this large before, so we’re not real sure what to expect,” City Police Chief Chip Donoghue said during the press conference.

The City’s large-scale viewing event will take place at Thompson Park. Recent projections expect the natural phenomenon will bring anywhere from 10,000 to 174,000 people to the area.

Chief Donoghue stated that the top concern is safety and heavy traffic within the City limits.

“We want to make sure everyone thinks about the increased risk with the pedestrian traffic that we’re going to be having around Thompson Park, the surrounding neighborhoods and probably the whole southeastern quarter of the city,” Donoghue expressed. “We urge motorists and pedestrians to exercise heightened caution when navigating the streets surrounding Thompson Park.”

Both the Watertown Police and Fire Departments are set to increase staffing on April 8. The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Fire and Emergency Management and New York State Police will provide additional assistance at Thompson Park and through Watertown.

To mitigate heavy traffic flow around the park, the City’s Planning Department will also close down most roads in the area. Parking will also restricted at Thompson Park.

City Planner Geoffrey Urda urged people to walk if possible.

“We’re a city of a population of about 23 or 24,000. That’s only about a third the size of an average NFL stadium,” Urda noted. “It’s very possible that walking will actually be the fastest way of getting from point A to point B.”

A shuttle will provide transportation during the eclipse event. Bus pickup locations include:

• Corner of Gotham St & Thompson Blvd
• Corner of Franklin St & Thompson Blvd
• Park Dr. East (ADA Drop-off and pick up)

Bus pickup will begin at 10 a.m. and will run continuously throughout the day and after the event concludes. Streets surrounding Thompson Park will close at 6 a.m. on April 8.