Heavy Traffic as Thousands Return from Total Eclipse Zone

RICHBURG, SC – Hundreds of thousands who traveled to the Carolinas to watch the eclipse are now back on the road and heading home.

“The moon was all black. And then you saw, like, the corona, which was beautiful,” says Long Island, NY resident Eric Mallilo.

A 14-hour drive from New York to Columbia was worth it for Mallilo and his granddad.

“I always wanted it on my bucket list, it was always there and I said I wanna take him with me, so we came down,” explains Long Island, NY resident Ulysses Cimaglia.

They’re among thousands who set out on the roads immediately after the total eclipse, making for bumper-to-bumper traffic on I-77 North.

“We were north of Columbia so we thought we were gonna beat everybody back. But I guess everybody thought the same thing,” says Miami, FL resident Tom Fogarty.

Ceci Cebrer says she flew in from Puerto Rico, to see her fourth solar eclipse.

“We’ve been to Mexico, Africa, Black Sea, and now this one,” she explains.

For those who didn’t want to travel, hundreds gathered in Ballantyne.

Waxhaw, NC resident Jarrett Goldberg waited more than an hour for his pair of eclipse glasses.

“It’s once in a lifetime, so you gotta do it,” Goldberg says.

As the sun dimmed, some were disappointed we didn’t see the total eclipse in Charlotte.

“I thought it would be darker.. but I have to take what I can get,” says Indian Land, SC resident DeMarcius Dillard.

But for those who traveled hundreds of miles to the total eclipse zone, they have no regrets.

“It was worth it all. It was worth it,” Cimaglia says.