PENNSYLVANIA, USA —
Editor's note: The above video is from Feb. 7.
The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission is warning people traveling over Memorial Day weekend to be alert for increased traffic and safety patrols on the turnpike.
The Commission expects a 15% increase in vehicles on the road from 2021 and a 3% overall increase compared to traffic levels at the beginning of the pandemic. Friday and Saturday are expected to be the most heavily traveled days of the weekend, bringing in an expected 770,000 and 540,000 motorists respectively.
“While our traffic volumes are beginning to mirror, or even exceed, the levels prior to the pandemic, poor driving habits made worse during the pandemic — when drivers saw sparser traffic and wide-open roads — are becoming far more dangerous,” said Mark Compton, PA Turnpike CEO, via a press release.
To help mitigate the effects from the influx of cars on the road, maintenance work will be suspended, and all lanes will be open from 3 p.m. on Thursday through 11 p.m. Monday.
For those traveling west on Sunday afternoon, drivers are advised to be aware of the 300-vehicle motorcade organized by the Run for the Wall veteran’s organization, departing at approximately 3:10 p.m.
The event will originate at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Somerset County and head down the Somerset Exchange, ending at the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C.
Traffic in this area is expected to be slowed until approximately 5 p.m.
To report an accident or other emergency on the PA Turnpike, you can dial *11 via mobile phone. To learn more about PA Turnpike conditions or to contact the Pa. Turnpike Commission, you can check out their website here.