Oklahoma

Traffic tie-ups, sudden darkness: ODOT officials preparing for April 8 eclipse

Published

2 years ago

March 5, 2024

Traffic tie-ups, sudden darkness: ODOT officials preparing for April 8 eclipse

Barbara Hoberock
| Oklahoma Voice

From selling special glasses to preparing for traffic snarls, Oklahoma officials are prepping for the April 8 solar eclipse expected to pass directly over southeastern Oklahoma.

Oklahoma Department of Transportation Executive Director Tim Gatz on Monday urged motorists to use caution during the eclipse.

Gatz’s remarks were made during the regular Oklahoma Transportation Commission meeting.

The moon will block out the sun, plunging parts of Mexico, the United States and Canada into darkness.

Southeastern Oklahoma will be impacted, including Broken Bow, Idabel, Hugo and Antlers. The eclipse will pass over Oklahoma starting at 1:44 p.m. and end by 1:51 p.m.

Gatz said his agency is working with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, Office of Emergency Management and Oklahoma Turnpike Authority.

“We will have personnel on site during the eclipse working closely, hand in hand with OHP and their mobile command so we can quickly respond to anything that might come up,” Gatz said.

More: A total solar eclipse is coming to Oklahoma in April. Here’s where to find eclipse glasses

ODOT to pause construction in SE Oklahoma during eclipse

The Oklahoma Department of Transportation is looking at pausing maintenance activities and construction projects to make sure traffic flow out of the area can be optimized, Gatz said.

“The area will be concentrated in McCurtain County, in the southeast corner of the state,” Gatz said. “However, the effects will be more broad sweeping than that.

“We expect traffic conditions will be somewhat problematic across the southeast region.”

More: Solar eclipse 2024: What Oklahoma communities will have the longest time in totality?

He said it will be crucial that his agency can communicate with drivers in the area during that time.

Officials are expecting that those trying to see the eclipse will trickle into the area at a slower pace, but when the eclipse is over, spectators will all try to leave at once, Gatz said.

“I think that is where we are going to have our biggest traffic challenges,” Gatz said.

ODOT putting live cameras, messages boards in SE Oklahoma ahead of 2024 eclipse

The agency is setting up additional cameras to provide live pictures of the conditions, Gatz said.

Changeable message boards will be placed at key locations across the area so transportation officials can communicate with drivers, Gatz said.

“One of the things we want to ask drivers is please don’t stop on the highway during the event, because again that creates congestion in traffic queues that can result in secondary accidents along the routes and once those traffic queues build up, they can take hours to clear,” Gatz said.

Motorists should turn on their headlights, he said.

“This is planned to be a total eclipse and the light conditions are going to change dramatically,” Gatz said.

Motorists should be aware of and watch out for pedestrians, he said.

“Because somebody is going to pull off on the side of the road and get out of their vehicle and that is going to create a dangerous situation,” Gatz said.

The major highways in the area are U.S. 70, U.S. 259 and Oklahoma Highway 3, according to the Department of Public Safety.

Visitors might consider stopping at a restaurant until traffic conditions improve, Gatz said.

“We will do everything we can to try to be ready for it and are doing everything we can, but it is still going to be bad,” Gatz said.

Three state parks will be totally eclipsed, said Chase Horn, a spokesperson for the Oklahoma Department of Tourism and Recreation.

Lodging and campsites at Beavers Bend State Park, Lake Wister State Park and Talimena State Park are full or filling up, he said.

Four other state parks will be eclipsed 97.8% to 99%, Horn said.

“We are working with the Department of Public Safety and other agencies making sure everyone is safe,” Horn said.

The Department of Public Safety said visitors to the area should expect maximum capacity in hotels, cabins and camp grounds.

In addition, the area should expect decreased quality of cellular service, delays in deliveries and increased emergency response times, DPS said.

Hoping to capitalize on the enthusiasm, the state Capitol gift shop on Monday was selling “Official Eclipse Glasses” to visitors for $2.99. Officials said tens of thousands of pairs were for sale across the state.

House Speaker Charles McCall, R-Atoka, said he’s not sure the House will be doing anything to commemorate the occasion.“But you can get a great look at it in southeastern Oklahoma if you want to travel down there towards Atoka,” he said with a grin.

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Oklahoma

Former Colorado State RB Lloyd Avant headed to Oklahoma

Published

5 hours ago

January 5, 2026

Press Room

Former Colorado State RB Lloyd Avant headed to Oklahoma

The Sooners have added reinforcement to their backfield for the 2026 season in the form of Colorado State transfer Lloyd Avant.

The rising junior has committed to Oklahoma, and will join the program with two years of eligibility remaining. He’ll add explosiveness and versatility to an OU running back corps headlined by returning workhorses Xavier Robinson and Tory Blaylock.

It’s a return to the Sooner State for Avant, who spent his freshman season at Tulsa in 2024. He signed with the Golden Hurricane out of high school as a three-star recruit. At the time, TU’s head coach was Kevin Wilson, who’s now on staff with Oklahoma as an offensive analyst.

Avant made an immediate impact at Tulsa as a true freshman, rushing for 259 yards and a TD and adding a kick return touchdown. But after Wilson’s dismissal, the 5-foot-10, 200-pounder elected to enter the transfer portal and eventually landed at CSU. There, he became a weapon in several facets for the program during his lone season with the Rams. He totaled over 900 all-purpose yards, 417 of which came on the ground and 261 of which came via pass reception. He scored six total TD’s and averaged nearly six yards per touch.

Upon Avant’s second portal entry, the Sooners quickly emerged as the team to watch in his recruitment. He visited campus Sunday and didn’t take long to lock in his decision.

A native of Humble, Texas, Avant gives Oklahoma six scholarship running backs heading into the new season. He joins Robinson, Blaylock, Andy Bass, and a pair of incoming freshmen in Jonathan Hatton and DeZephen Walker. It’ll also be of some intrigue to see whether OU offers him the chance to return kicks. As a team, the Sooners attempted just two kickoff returns in 2025, opting almost exclusively for fair catches. That philosophy could change with a proven special teams weapon like Avant in the stable.

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Oklahoma

Oklahoma City takes on Charlotte, looks for 4th straight home win

Published

17 hours ago

January 5, 2026

Press Room

Oklahoma City takes on Charlotte, looks for 4th straight home win

Charlotte Hornets (12-23, 12th in the Eastern Conference) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (30-6, first in the Western Conference)

Oklahoma City; Monday, 8 p.m. EST

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Thunder -15.5; over/under is 232.5

BOTTOM LINE: Oklahoma City hosts Charlotte looking to continue its three-game home winning streak.

The Thunder have gone 17-2 at home. Oklahoma City scores 121.9 points while outscoring opponents by 14.7 points per game.

The Hornets have gone 5-13 away from home. Charlotte ranks fourth in the league averaging 15.1 made 3-pointers per game while shooting 36.7% from downtown. Kon Knueppel leads the team averaging 3.6 makes while shooting 42.8% from 3-point range.

The Thunder’s 13.6 made 3-pointers per game this season are the same per game average that the Hornets allow. The Hornets are shooting 45.6% from the field, 2.5% higher than the 43.1% the Thunder’s opponents have shot this season.

The teams square off for the second time this season. The Thunder won 109-96 in the last meeting on Nov. 16. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 33 points, and Miles Bridges led the Hornets with 15 points.

TOP PERFORMERS: Chet Holmgren is averaging 18.2 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.8 blocks for the Thunder. Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 25.0 points over the last 10 games.

Bridges is averaging 20.2 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists for the Hornets. Brandon Miller is averaging 4.0 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Thunder: 6-4, averaging 118.9 points, 42.5 rebounds, 24.7 assists, 9.9 steals and 5.7 blocks per game while shooting 48.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 109.3 points per game.

Hornets: 5-5, averaging 118.7 points, 45.6 rebounds, 28.8 assists, 7.6 steals and 4.2 blocks per game while shooting 45.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 117.8 points.

INJURIES: Thunder: Nikola Topic: out (groin), Thomas Sorber: out for season (knee), Ousmane Dieng: out (calf), Jaylin Williams: out (heel), Isaiah Hartenstein: out (calf).

Hornets: Mason Plumlee: out (groin), Grant Williams: out (acl), Ryan Kalkbrenner: day to day (elbow), Tidjane Salaun: day to day (ankle), Moussa Diabate: day to day (wrist).

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

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Oklahoma

Three Big 12 Transfers Oklahoma State Is Reportedly Interested In

Published

1 day ago

January 4, 2026

Press Room

Three Big 12 Transfers Oklahoma State Is Reportedly Interested In

PORTAL TRACKER

Oklahoma State’s newly constructed staff got on the board Saturday, picking up portal commitments on offense and special special teams, so how about some defense?

Three Big 12 defenders have been linked with Oklahoma State via the transfer portal over the past few days, including a pair of former OK Preps standouts. Here’s a look.

Kanijal Thomas, CB, Kansas State

Thomas is an Oklahoman, playing his high school ball at Del City. He visited Stillwater on Saturday, according to On3.

He was a redshirt sophomore for the Wildcats in 2025, playing in seven games as a true freshman in 2023 before an injury saw his sophomore season end two games in.

Thomas played in eight games at K-State in 2025, finishing the year with five tackles, a PBU and a forced fumble. According to PFF, he gave up four catches for 21 yards this season on seven targets.

Now listed at 5-foot-11, 186 pounds, Thomas was a three-star prospect coming out of Del City in the 2023 class. He picked K-State over offers from OSU, Texas Tech, Iowa State and others.

Maurion Horn, CB, Texas Tech

Another Oklahoma kid, Maurion Horn has spent the past four seasons in Lubbock, where he has played in 30 games during that time. According to 247Sports, Horn will visit Stillwater on Monday.

He started all of Tech’s games in 2024, finishing that season with 56 tackles, three tackles for loss and five pass breakups. He played in seven games and dealt with some sort of injury, appearing on Tech’s availability report in Weeks 4, 14 and 15.

Horn has been targeted 88 times in his career, per PFF, where he has allowed just 47 catches.

He was a four-star prospect in the 2022 recruiting class out of Broken Arrow. He ended up picking Tech over offers from OSU, OU, Texas, Baylor, Arkansas and others.

Braylon Rigsby, Edge, Texas Tech

Listed at 6-foot-2, 275 pounds, Braylon Rigsby will join his Texas Tech teammate in Stillwater on Monday, according to 247Sports.

He’s played in 26 games across the past two seasons in Lubbock, accumulating 25 tackles and three tackles for loss during that time.

Per PFF, Rigsby has 21 QB pressures in his career to go with two QB hits.

He hails from Woodsville, Texas, which is near the Louisiana border. Rigsby was a three-star prospect in the 2023 recruiting class, coming in as the No. 861 player in the 247Sports Composite ranking.

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