Weekend marks start of peak tourist season

With forecasts calling for brighter weather, Maine braced for heavy traffic Friday at the start of a long Fourth of July weekend that typically marks the beginning of the peak summer tourist season.

Maine Turnpike officials said the influx of northbound visitors Friday could put nearly 250,000 vehicles on the toll road, making it the busiest of the five days in the holiday period. The projected vehicle count for all five days was 950,000.

Because Independence Day falls on a Tuesday, many people were expected to take Monday off as well.

State police were stepping up enforcement throughout the period and will be using spotter aircraft and marked and unmarked cars, according to Col. Craig Poulin, chief of the state police.

“We’ll be focusing on speeding, aggressive driving and OUI,” he said.

After near record-setting rain in June, the forecast for the holiday period offered a measure of relief, with a fair amount of sunshine Saturday and Monday alternating with possible showers Sunday and Tuesday.

“It seems that we can’t string two nice days together this year,” said Eric Sinsabaugh of the National Weather Service in Gray. “But it will be drier than it has been lately.”

After the miserable May and June, Maine’s tourist industry was hoping the holiday period would usher in a change in the weather pattern.

“People seem to be pretty optimistic about the weekend,” said Steve Lyons of the Maine Office of Tourism. “It looks like the weather is going to be cooperative.”

Lyons said that while people seem to have gotten used to higher gasoline prices, bad weather can prompt them to cancel their trips. The impact of the June rain won’t be known until figures for the month are compiled in August.