Record Traffic, Extra MD Police, DUI Patrols On July 4 Weekend

BALTIMORE, MD — With lower gas prices and a four-day weekend for many workers, a record-breaking number of Maryland drivers are expected to fill the roads this Fourth of July holiday, and they'll be watched by an extra number of Maryland State Police and other agencies looking for drunk and aggressive drivers. The auto group AAA expects a record 49 million people to travel this week for the holiday, up 4.1 percent from last year. In Maryland families will likely travel to fireworks shows, events in Washington, D.C., or the Eastern Shore to cool off.

If you're one of those people planning to hit the road, you may want to avoid the highway on Friday between 10 a.m. and noon. That's when traffic will be at its worst, as it's expected to be 3.4 times heavier than usual, AAA officials said. And state highway officials have recommendations on your best and worst times to cross the Bay Bridge, see below.

Maryland Transportation Authority Police will take part in the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign during the Fourth of July holiday week. Drivers will see more patrols on the roads with zero tolerance for those who drive while under the influence of alcohol or impaired by illegal drugs, according to a news release.

“We cannot stress enough how important it is to avoid drinking and driving,” said MDTA Police Chief Col. Jerry Jones in a news release. “There is no excuse for driving impaired with the advent of ride share services and the availability of public transportation. Please plan ahead so you arrive at your destination safely.”

INRIX and AAA Mid-Atlantic predict Wednesday, July 3, will be a traffic nightmare as residents head to hit the Beltway or travel to Maryland's Eastern Shore, and it grows exponentially on Sunday, July 7, when everyone tries to return home. Even those driving Friday, July 5, and Saturday, July 6, are in for stop and go traffic.

“During their departures for the holiday tomorrow afternoon, highway travelers will be shoe-horned into traffic bottlenecks and temporal tie-ups on major arteries and constricted by queuing along on-ramps and off-ramps,” said John B. Townsend II, AAA Mid-Atlantic’s manager of public and government affairs, in a news release. "Whether they are returning over the same route or by a different route Sunday, they will be plagued by traffic hyper-congestion at lower speeds on freeway segments over an extended period.”

Beginning July 2, extra state troopers will be out looking for impaired, distracted and aggressive drivers, speeders and other violators. Officers will be working overtime assignments paid for by grants from the Maryland Department of Transportation Highway Safety Office.

Highways that will receive extra focus include: I-95 from north of Baltimore to the Delaware state line, officers will focus on distracted driving and crashes; DUI patrols are planned in the areas handled by the Golden Ring, North East, Westminster and Bel Air barracks until Sunday, July 7; extra troopers will be on the road along I-70 and I-68; Route 50 and Route 13 patrols will make impaired driving and speed enforcement a priority for drivers headed to the Eastern Shore, state police said.

And troopers from the Rockville, Forestville and College Park barracks will have increased patrols on U.S. Rt. 301, I-495, I-95 and I-270, and hold DUI saturation patrols in their counties.

You can also expect a lot of visitors in the region this week. Based on travel bookings, AAA rates Washington, D.C., as the 10th most popular Fourth of July destination this year. And Ocean City, Maryland, draws families from all over the region to its two concerts and fireworks shows. Live DJs will perform at 8 p.m. on the Beach at North Division Street and uptown at Northside Park, followed by fireworks shows at 9:30 p.m. on July 4 in Ocean City.

Bay Bridge Drive Times

Heavy traffic volumes will occur on the Bay Bridge, starting Wednesday, July 3, through Sunday, July 7, the Maryland Transportation Authority warns. Traffic will be packed on the approach roadways, the Severn River Bridge, the Bay Bridge, the Kent Narrows Bridge, along the 50/301 split on the Eastern Shore.

Weather permitting, the MDTA will use two-way traffic operations to help alleviate eastbound delays. The agency offers these travel tips for this holiday weekend:

• Travel off-peak when heading to and from the Eastern Shore. The best times to travel the Bay Bridge this week include:
  • Wednesday - Before 9 a.m. and after 10 p.m.
  • Thursday, 4th of July – Before 6 a.m. and after 6 p.m.
  • Friday – before 7 a.m. and after 7 p.m.
  • Saturday – Before 7 a.m. and after 5 p.m.
  • Sunday – Before 10 a.m. and after 10 p.m.

For real-time updates on problems follow the MDTA on Twitter at twitter.com/TheMDTA. Call 1-877-BAYSPAN (229-7726) for 24/7 Bay Bridge traffic conditions. Visit baybridge.com to view traffic cameras and mdta.maryland.gov to sign up for email/text alerts.

While car rental and airfares are higher this year, gas prices have dropped since the Memorial Day holiday. That means more people are planning weekend road trips to celebrate Independence Day.

"Gas prices are, on average, 17 cents cheaper than Memorial Day weekend, which is welcome news for motorists hitting the road to celebrate the July Fourth holiday," said AAA gas price expert Jeanette Casselano. "More so, summer gas prices are poised to continue dropping even lower in coming weeks."