BANGOR – As the holidays approach, road construction continues and Canadians flock for sales, traffic in the city has come to a standstill.

Motorists are waiting several cycles before proceeding through stoplights, only to halt at the next one in line.

“Traffic out here is a nightmare, it’s a sin,” said Marg Ward of Bangor while pointing to Stillwater Avenue.

City officials said Friday that many construction projects are wrapping up, just in time for the holiday season, but some will continue through the winter.

Maine Department of Transportation’s replacement of the Essex Street bridge has pushed a lot of traffic onto Broadway, said Jim Ring, the city’s engineer. That project will not be finished until June, he said. Stillwater Avenue has a street-widening project nearing completion, which Ring hopes will help mitigate traffic along that busy retail stretch.

This time of year is always busy, Ring said, but license plate counts seem to confirm reports about increased Canadian traffic.

“It’s always easy for folks to say it’s everybody else from away and out of town to be the cause of this congestion, but the fact is, on average compared to 20 to 30 years ago, there are a lot more drivers in vehicles per household,” Ring said.

When driving around the city, Ring advised, plan a route ahead of time and avoid left turns.

Certain stoplights in the city are particularly inconvenient, including the no-left-hand turn onto Stillwater Avenue after exiting Interstate 95, said Anthony Dinardo, 24, of Hampden.

Stillwater Avenue from Target to the Old Navy complex is a mess, said Christa Balmas. Her husband, Frank, said downtown Bangor and the State Street light near All Souls Congregational Church stall him for longer than necessary.

The Balmases are originally from Canada and admit their family members are contributing to the congested streets. For the next three weekends friends and relatives have booked visits with the Balmases, who live in Hermon.

“His high school friend has never been to visit before, but I’m sure the trip is twofold,” Christa Balmas said. “The biggest reason is really for shopping.”