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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 01, 2016
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Visitors Leaving Maine This Labor Day Will Be Thanked By Miles The Moose
--Increased summer traffic putting 2016 on pace to be another record-breaker--
PORTLAND, Maine – Maine Turnpike travelers headed southbound on Labor Day, Monday, September 5, 2016 will be thanked for visiting Maine by receiving the 2017 200th Edition of the Farmers’ Almanac at the York Toll Plaza. Almanacs will be distributed beginning at approximately 10:00 AM. With traffic up 6.3% over last summer, there will be plenty of visitors traveling through the York Toll to receive their free almanac. Year to date through the end of July, 2016 has had 2.78 million more vehicle transactions than the same period of 2015.
Miles the Moose will be on hand again this year with his friend, Clawdette the Lobster, and a handful of hearty MTA employees to pass out the almanacs and wave goodbye to visitors. “The 2016 almanac calls for showers on Labor Day this year” says Miles “I hope they are wrong, just this once!” Miles wants to remind everyone to drive safely and of course look out for wildlife in the roadways. “We want everyone to return home safely so they can visit again soon. Autumn in Maine is awesome.”
More than 1.1 million vehicles are anticipated to travel the Maine Turnpike over the Labor Day weekend. Friday is expected to be the busiest day with more than 339,000 vehicles and heavier traffic northbound between 3:00 PM and 7:00 PM. About 267,000 vehicles are expected to travel the turnpike on Saturday and the busiest hours are likely to be between 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM. On Monday between the hours of 12:00 noon and 7:00 PM, approximately 242,000 vehicles are expected to travel on the turnpike, with traffic heaviest headed southbound. Total traffic numbers from the Holiday weekend will be available on Tuesday, September 6, 2016 by 12:00 PM.
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