MA 2019 Columbus Day Travel And Traffic Guide

BOSTON, MA — Columbus Day may not rank up with the day before Thanksgiving, Memorial Day or Labor Day in terms of being busy on the nation's roadways, but drivers should still expect delays and gridlock if they're trying to sneak in one last, long weekend away before colder weather sets in. And a lot of that travel may be on the highway, as gas prices in the northeast have been dropping in recent weeks and are 35 cents lower than they were last year, according to AAA.

John Paul, a senior manager with AAA, said the organization does not typically track traffic the way it does for busier travel holidays.

"It's not to say shoulder seasons aren't a great time to go out, but we find people tend to trade that day off for the day after Thanksgiving, if they can," Paul said. "It's just not as busy as Thanksgiving or Labor Day or some of the other holidays we tend to track."

To help people get out of town for the long weekend, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation is extending hours in the high-occupancy vehicle lane on Interstate 93 between Quincy and Boston from 2 to 8 p.m. on Thursday and 1 to 8 p.m. on Friday. The HOV lane will be closed on Monday and resume normal hours of operation on Tuesday.

The additional "swing lane" on Route 1A southbound at the Sumner Tunnel will operate during its normal hours of 5-10 a.m. on Friday. The lane will not open on Monday, October 14.

MassDOT will also be offering free coffee at its 18 service plazas in Massachusetts beginning at 10 p.m. Friday and continuing around the clock until 5 a.m. Monday. The plazas serving free coffee include all 11 service plazas along I-90 plus plazas along Route 3 in Plymouth, Route 128 in Beverly, Route 128/I-95 in Newton and Lexington, Route 6 in Barnstable, and the Route 24 northbound and southbound plazas.

There are no changes to the MBTA schedule. All MBTA lines will operate on a normal weekday schedule on Monday. All state office, including the Registry of Motor Vehicles, will be closed Monday.