Traffic in East Tennessee is already beginning to pick up ahead of the Great American Solar Eclipse.
FULL COVERAGE: Total Solar Eclipse
Parts of I-40 West, I-75 South were backed up for much of Sunday afternoon as drivers left Knox County, heading towards the path of totality.
While it makes it tough for travelers, gas station along the interstate are benefiting.
Cashiers at the Kenjo gas station in Lenoir City said traffic was starting to pick up on Sunday.
“People ask, 'are you ready for the eclipse?' My response, 'it's going to be here whether you're ready or not,'" Claude Didier, a cashier at Kenjo said.
"The traffic has been awful,” Bob Fahlsing said. He and a group of eight motorcyclists made their way to East Tennessee from Michigan.
“Coming through Cincinnati, there's a lot of traffic coming through Cincinnati. We took the bypass down and that wasn't any better," he said.
The bikers stopped to fuel up on Sunday to avoid any eclipse day traffic.
"I'm assuming it's going to be pretty busy everywhere tomorrow so we're just trying to get a head start," biker Brad Kramer said.
The group plans to make it to the Great Smoky Mountains to view the eclipse. They said the traffic won’t slow them down.
“It's just worth it. It's not something you can do every day," Kramer said.
The Tennessee Department of Transportation said they expect the roads to be busy on Monday. They remind drivers not to stop along the interstate to view the eclipse. Not only is it illegal, it’s also dangerous.