Holiday traffic in Maine expected to be heavier; new congestion reduction system is in place

MAINE -The summer tourism season starts this weekend for the long Memorial Day holiday weekend, and traffic on the Maine Turnpike is expected to be very busy.

The Maine Turnpike Authority said Wednesday they expect traffic will be up by more than 2% compared to last year when 1,008,927 transactions were recorded over the four-day weekend.

As usual, Friday is expected to be the busiest day of the four-day weekend this year, especially headed north between 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Traffic is also expected to be busy midday on Saturday in both directions and Monday afternoon and evening headed south.

All construction and maintenance activities on the turnpike will be suspended over the long weekend, though there are several construction areas that include narrowed lanes and reduced speed zones.

Turnpike officials are also sharing information with travelers about the new, dynamic part-time shoulder use (PTSU) system that is now operational for drivers on I-95 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire and Kittery. This PTSU system is in place on approximately three miles of I-95 – between Exit 5 in New Hampshire and Exit 3 in Maine – including the Piscataqua River Bridge. Designed to reduce congestion and improve safety, the PTSU system will be used during peak travel periods from May through October, during unplanned incidents, and as traffic conditions warrant.

Based on real-time travel conditions, crews at the Maine Turnpike Authority’s Transportation Management and Communications Center in Portland will determine when to allow the right shoulder of the road southbound to be used as an open travel lane, while New Hampshire will manage the PTSU northbound. When the PTSU system is activated, drivers will see the system’s messaging components (beacons and lane-use signals) turn on to indicate when the shoulder is open for travel. There will also be warning signs with flashing beacons at the on-ramps approaching the system to alert merging traffic when the shoulder lane is open for travel and to use extra caution when merging into the highway.

Traffic operators from both states will close the shoulder to traffic when congestion eases, if there’s a motorist in the breakdown lane, or if any other emergency situation warrants the closure of the shoulder. Safety patrols will be increased when the PTSU system is in use.

Copyright 2024 WABI. All rights reserved.