City of Syracuse April 8 Solar Eclipse Plans
Published on April 02, 2024
Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh announced city government will be open for all services on Monday, April 8 when a total solar eclipse impacts a large part of New York State, including Syracuse. State and local officials are preparing for a large influx of visitors to the region which may put extraordinary demand on roads and telecommunications infrastructure.
In Syracuse, the eclipse will begin at 2:09 p.m. and will reach totality at 3:23 p.m. Darkness will occur for 1 minute and 24 seconds. It will gradually lighten over the next hour with conditions returning to normal about 4:34 p.m. City streetlights are scheduled to go on during the duration of the eclipse.
City staff will work normal schedules on Monday:
- Trash and recycling pickups will occur as scheduled.
- Parks, Recreation and Youth Program sites and programs will operate on a regular schedule.
- The City Payment Center, the Central Permit Office, City Clerk, and all departments providing service to the public will be open throughout the day.
“With the potential for heavy traffic, we encourage constituents to consider other times to do business at our offices. Check our website at syr.gov to see if the service or transaction you need can be done online,” said Mayor Walsh. “But if you need us on Monday — online, by phone, or in-person — city staff will be available.”
In coordination with Onondaga County and New York State, Walsh said multiple city departments, led by Human Resources Safety and Risk Management, have been planning for the eclipse for many months. City employees whose jobs include going outdoors — including Police, Fire, Public Works, Water, Parks and Code Enforcement — are being provided protective eyeglasses.
Information on the eclipse, including safety tips, is available from New York State at iloveny.com/events/eclipse-2024/.