Busy Holiday Week Expected on Turnpike

Portland, Maine - The Maine Turnpike Authority is gearing up for a busy holiday week, with an expected growth in traffic of 1.25 percent over last year’s Independence Day travel.  More than 615,000 vehicles are anticipated to travel the Maine Turnpike between Friday and Saturday alone.  “With the 4th falling on a Tuesday, it changes the flow of outgoing traffic,” said Turnpike Authority spokeswoman, Erin Courtney.  “While we expect northbound traffic to be heavy Friday and Saturday, when people leave will vary.  Some will go home Monday, some will leave Tuesday, and others will have taken the whole week off and will head south next weekend,” she said.

Beginning as early as 12:00 PM on Friday (today) traffic northbound is expected to be heavy, with the peak hours between 5:00 PM and 8:00 PM.  Traffic on Saturday northbound is expected to be heavy between the hours of 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM.

From January through May 2017, the turnpike has seen a 2.4% growth in traffic compared to the same period in 2016.  2016 marked the busiest year in Maine Turnpike history. With heavy traffic expected on the road, the MTA is urging motorists to be aware of peak times, plan accordingly, and drive safely over the long holiday weekend.

Motorists traveling through the York Toll Plaza over the Holiday weekend can also pick up their copy of the Maine Public Radio “Guide to Road Trip Games” booklet.  The guide is filled with fun games to play in the car as well as safe driving tips provided by its sponsors, Maine’s Credit Unions, Goodwin’s Volvo, Maine Turnpike Authority and Maine Public Broadcasting Network.  The guides will be distributed northbound at all four mainline toll plazas on Friday afternoon and will be available in both directions on Saturday between 10 AM and 2 PM.