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Heavy Traffic Expected on Maine Turnpike as Visitors Arrive for Holiday

Independence Day is still four days away, but Maine Turnpike Authority officials expect to see heavier traffic, beginning today.   

"We're expecting, approximately, over 600,000 vehicles to travel the Maine Turnpike Friday and Saturday alone," says spokeswoman Erin Courtney.  "And then, with it [the Fourth of July holiday] falling on a Tuesday, the exodus is to be, probably, more dispersed."

Overall, officials expect traffic to increase more than 1 percent over last year. 

Courtney says construction work on the roadway will stop over the next four days to keep all lanes open for traffic.   But, she says, drivers should still watch out for work zones.

"Exit 44 is currently under construction, which is what would take you to 295 and downtown Portland," she says. "And, while they won't be working over the weekend, it's still an active construction zone."

And, she says, drivers should put down their cell phones. 

The heaviest northbound traffic times on the highway are expected to be 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, and on Saturday between 10 a.m. and noon.