SCARBOROUGH, Maine (NEWS CENTER) -- If traffic on the main artery into Maine is any indicator, tourists are taking the Pine Tree State by storm.
The Maine Turnpike Authority reports that 7.8 million transactions took place on the 109-mile long toll road in July, which was about 5,000 less than last year.
"Traffic has been relatively stable from 2011 using 2012 numbers," stated Dan Morin, the MTA's public relations manager. "The summer months are our busiest times. If you look at a flow chart, you will see a definitive spike, precipitously, moving upward during the summer months. That's where we get most of our revenue and traffic numbers."
Morin says there are three major influences on the number of motorists making their way to Maine; gas prices, the weather and the economy.
With a short construction season in which to make repairs on the turnpike, the MTA has increased its use of email alerts and social media to help keep travelers up to speed.
"We've increased our email alerts, we've jumped on twitter, we've jumped on Facebook and a combination of all those ways to gather information has just made the public more aware of what is going on traffic wise," explained Morin.
He says the summer of 2012 has been smooth sailing so far.
"The only times we are seeing back-ups, delays, and an increased amount of incidents are on Sundays. Historically, ten weekends a year, traffic is extreme southbound on the Maine Turnpike," he said. "The fact of the matter is if you leave after noon time on Sunday, it is going to be slower than it normally is."
NEWS CENTER