GRASONVILLE, Md. - The road ahead for holiday travelers may be a rough one.
The Maryland Transportation Authority and AAA expect high traffic volumes.
Wednesday afternoon officials discussed an estimated surge in travelers along the Bay Bridge and Route 50. Meaning drivers headed to Ocean City are urged to 'pack their patience'.
MDTA estimates around 325,000 thousand cars to cross the bay bridge this weekend. And there's an estimated national travel increase of about 7% from last years numbers. Drivers are encouraged to be prepared for the heavy traffic for the holiday weekend.
AAA's Ragina Ali says we may hit a few bumps in the road with the surge in traffic.
"At AAA we like to partner with our traffic safety partner, our state partners and our Ocean City tourist partners to get all that traffic safety message out to all of our Maryland residents.to make sure-- and to our dc residents as well so that they know what to expects as far as travel goes, " says Ali.
New gates regulate traffic flow on the bay bridge and they could catch new drivers by surprise this weekend.
Colonel Kevin Anderson of MDTA police says paying attention is the surest path to safety.
"The challenge is to the driver. When your behind the wheel of the car that's your only mission is to be the driver. You are transporting one of the most precious cargo that we have in this state. That is your family, your friends, your coworkers, and your loved ones," says Anderson.
There is one way to avoid any standstills on the bay bridge. Anderson says, "Before 8 a.m. and after 10 p.m. The key is during that middle time you're gonna see that increase. So if you don't want to be in that mix, leave early and stay late."
More police presence is expected along the travel routes, looking for aggressive, speeding, and impaired drivers.
Anderson added, "On average, Maryland is losing more than 500 people a year in motor vehicle crashes in our state. And every one of them, without exception, is avoidable because it comes down to driver behavior."
Compared to last years numbers AAA estimated that there will be an increase of travels for this summer season as well.
