Residents planning to hit the highway for Labor Day weekend are urged to plan forward, as Orange Line bus diversion routes and native highway closures have led to heavier than common congestion on state highways.
“I think as well all know this is typically a very, very busy weekend,” stated MassDOT Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver in a Friday press name.
“We saw some extra volume within the Thursday commute overall, but especially in the afternoon, and like most holiday weekends, we are expecting that heavy travel times are going to continue.”
Gridlock that has been seen on interstates and first routes, corresponding to I-93, I-95, and Routes 1 and IA throughout the Orange and partial Green Line shutdowns — as motorists heed recommendation to keep away from diversion routes — can even tie up roadways this weekend, Gulliver stated.
Heavy congestion is anticipated on Friday afternoon, when many individuals start their journeys, and late Monday afternoon once they begin making their method residence, notably on roads out of Cape Cod and people who hyperlink out-of-state vacationers again to Massachusetts.
To mitigate site visitors impacts, Gulliver stated MassDOT has shut down some key building websites and is shifting to a vacation schedule for carpool and swing lanes on highways.
Post-Labor Day journey is often busy as nicely, he stated, as individuals regulate to their new work and college schedules, however questions stay round what a post-COVID each day commute will appear like in a largely distant world.
Summer site visitors volumes are anticipated to proceed this fall, however totally different drivers can be on the highway, corresponding to each day commuters somewhat than individuals touring out and in of the town for leisure, and extra buses and college students to mark the beginning of the varsity yr.
“We expect that there’s going to be an adjustment period over the next couple of weeks as everyday drivers return and start to settle into a new pattern,” Gulliver stated. “This is something we have experienced in past years, but again with post-COVID, it’s not as predictable as it used to be.”
For instance, he stated many commuters have opted to journey throughout the noon and late afternoon hours to keep away from the standard peak occasions of morning and afternoon, which has unfold out the quantity of site visitors.
“It’s a trend that has been making travel much, and commuting especially much more manageable than it used to be,” Gulliver stated. “It’s one of the congestion techniques that we had been really pushing pre-COVID that we hope is going to continue post-COVID.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com”