In anticipation of Memorial Day and the traffic it brings, it’s a good idea to go over some of the traffic patterns that we will see leading up to the holiday weekend.

Thursday afternoon: Heavy afternoon traffic is expected. You will see delays approaching New Hampshire and the Cape, and the Pike will be heavy, too.

Friday afternoon: Light morning traffic, very heavy afternoon holiday traffic on all major routes. Don’t forget that a lot of businesses let their employees leave early for the holiday weekend, thus bringing more cars onto the roadway after noon.

Saturday and Sunday: If it is a nice weekend, expect beach traffic and lots of it.

Monday: Memorial Day. Light holiday morning volume. Extensive afternoon delays will begin around 1 or 2 PM, depending on the weather. If it is a nice day, people tend to stay at their vacation spot longer.  The hotels let out around 11 AM, so expect volume forming anytime after that.

In fact, expect Monday morning Cape traffic to be heavy throughout the summer. Many people decide to commute to work on Monday morning to avoid delays on Sunday. We see increased volume coming down from New Hampshire on Mondays, too, but not as much as comes off-Cape.

Tuesday (day after Memorial Day): Very heavy morning ride, especially coming off-Cape. Route 6, 495 and 3 will carry Cape traffic to add to the morning rush.