You’re already late to work, barreling down the Maine Turnpike. Hoping to avoid an accident or that large patch of black ice you heard about on the news, you tune into the 1610 AM, the turnpike’s radio station which keeps drivers in the loop.

There were no traffic problems on Western Avenue this morning despite the opening of Lowe's, the first store in the Augusta Crossing shopping center.

Harry Wilson, of Pittston, came to Lowe’s at 9:15 a.m. with an empty trailer behind his red pick-up truck. “I’m optimistic,” Wilson said.

Wilson said he wasn't fazed by the continuing construction. “It’s not that bad,” he said.

“It’s more a matter of looking out for additional workers,” Wilson’s wife, Carol, said.

While the area where Lowe’s is located has been landscaped and paved, folks wanting to check out the new home improvement store should be warned: they’ll be greeted by a lot of heavy construction and flaggers when they get to the top of Senator Way.

The eastern half of Senator Way, which is the former Storey Street, was paved earlier today, and will have flaggers directing traffic.

Remember, Senator Way is now a one-way street. Cars are still trying to go in both directions to get back onto Western Avenue. While there haven’t been any reported vehicle accidents, there have been some near misses. Heed the signs and drive safe.

Enjoy the nice weather while it lasts.

Today should prove to be an uneventful commute. There are no reported vehicle accidents in Augusta or the surrounding communities. Traffic light problems reported along Western Avenue, which could cause something of a headache, have also been rectified.

Tomorrow’s commute could be a different story, however. The area is expected to see some chance snow showers and cloudy skies. Also, the new Lowe’s Home Improvement in Augusta Crossing will be opening its doors, which may fuel traffic back-ups at various hours of the day.

Stay tuned...

Look out for a possible traffic tie-up on the Maine Turnpike tonight if you commute near Litchfield.

The Lunt’s Hill Road Bridge will shut down a southbound lane starting at 6 p.m. The Maine State Police will be on hand to handle traffic stops and ensure a safe drive until midnight. Stops may last up to 25 minutes, authorities warned.

Reminder to those of you who use Western Avenue: the intersection of Western Avenue and Senator Way heading east will be reduced to one lane so workers can finish paving the area, starting at 9 a.m. Friday. This could mean some serious back-up for your morning commute.

The drama surrounding Western Avenue never ends.

Starting Friday at 9 a.m., eastbound drivers near the intersection of Western Avenue and Senator Way (the former Storey Street) will be restricted to one lane until further notice for the rest of the day.

The lane will closed so the contractor, Alvin J. Coleman & Son Inc., can commence paving work in the intersection.

Until then, streets in Augusta and the surrounding communities should be free and clear for a peaceful commute home from work or school.

Graveyard shifting it? Expect chance showers into the evening and patchy fog.

Hard to believe yesterday we were scrambling to leave work to bask in the Indian summer warmth. Today has been cloudy and breezy, and thunderstorms are expected to hit the area around quitting time.

For those of you on the graveyard shift, the rain is forecast to last through the night; be sure to use extra caution driving to your destination.

For those punching out at 5 p.m., the rain (if it happens) shouldn’t hinder your commute too much; no vehicle accidents were reported to the Augusta Police Department or to the Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office.

It’s a beautiful Monday afternoon, and the gorgeous weather will ensure an uneventful commute home to enjoy what’s left of this unseasonable warmth.

No major accidents were reported this afternoon by the Augusta Police Department or the Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office.

Still not used to the new Senator Way off Western Avenue? You’re not alone. Four city council candidates met with the Kennebec Journal’s editorial board this morning to discuss several stances they hold as far as the city is concerned — one of the principle issues being driver safety and trying to anticipate what traffic will be like once all stores in Augusta Crossing are open.

“(Augusta Crossing) looks better than I envisioned,” current councilor Stan Koski said with a chuckle. “But I have to wonder what will happen to Western Avenue with all this new traffic after the center opens up? Will it become far, far, worse? It honestly makes me shudder.”

Echoed council hopeful Cecil Munson, “People, in my opinion, are very concerned about Western Avenue. I don’t know what will happen with (traffic). I guess only time will tell.”

A snarl-free commute home is optimistically expected today in the wake of the first full day of Western Avenue’s new traffic pattern.

Augusta police said they had not received any calls about traffic problems in the area.

On Wednesday, drivers adjusted pretty well as Senator Way, formerly known as Storey Street, became a one-way street. Drivers can no longer exit Senator Way onto Western Avenue, but instead must follow a perimeter road that wraps behind the Best Western Senator Inn and Spa and Kennebec Journal.

There were a few confused drivers who found it hard to break old habits despite a barrage of large red signs directing otherwise.

Those commuting outside of Augusta can also look forward to an uneventful commute, as no vehicle accidents have been reported to the Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office.

Traffic on Western Avenue may be a tad confusing the next couple of days.

Senator Way, formerly Storey Street, is now a two-lane, one-way street. The change was made at noon today.

The change will allow traffic to turn directly off Western Avenue onto the road leading to the new Augusta Crossing shopping center, the Senator Inn, and the Kennebec Journal. Large, red signs indicating the new travel patterns are posted along Senator Way to direct drivers.

Personnel were on hand to direct the traffic on Western Avenue.

The only potential headache is for drivers headed westbound. The jughandle used to make left-hand turns to the newspaper and hotel has been closed and eventually will be eliminated, though a left-turn lane on westbound Western Avenue has been opened.

Click here to listen to audio recorded by shortly after the traffic pattern changed

On the turnpike, officials from the Maine Turnpike Authority are joining forces with Maine State Police today to remind drivers when a trooper is on the side of the road, it is the law for the driver to shift into the left lane if they are already not there.

Troopers will be conducting a speed enforcement operation today not only to catch driver zooming up and down the turnpike, but to give warning to those who fail to move over.

In addition, tolls will be handing out pamphlets to remind drivers’ of Maine’s “move over” law.

The punishment for not changing lanes comes with a hefty price tag — up to $311.

AUGUSTA -- Senator Way, formerly known as Storey Street, will remain a two-way street until futher notice, officials said this morning.

The Maine Department of Transportation and the developer of the Augusta Crossing shopping center decided to keep the two-way traffic because of concerns about construction on the perimeter road being built behind the Kennebec Journal, which shares Senator Way with the Best Western Senator Inn and Spa.

There was no immediate word on when the street would turn into a two-lane, one-way road as originally planned.

Traveling in western Augusta is about to change forever.

Senator Way, formerly known as Storey Street, will turn into a two-lane, one-way street Tuesday. The street, just off Western Avenue, serves as the entrance for the new Augusta Crossing shopping center that opens next month, the Best Western Senator Inn and Spa and the Kennebec Journal.

A perimeter road -- another two-lane, one-way street going counterclockwise behind the newspaper building -- has been built for people to exit Augusta Crossing.

Sam Donovan, the project supervisor, said completion of the perimeter road and parking lot construction, including landscaping, will take a month and a half.

Remember last week when there were high hopes we’d be driving on the Pearl Harbor Remembrance Bridge today?

Well, they’ve been dashed to the ground — at least until next week.

Overnight rains and foul weather have prevented crews from completing the paving and painting of the bridge that connects Randolph and Gardiner, said resident engineer Jeff Folsom.

“We were hoping it’d be done (today), but it looks like the paving will be pushed back to Monday and the painting will be done Tuesday,” Folsom said.

So, buck up, folks. By Wednesday, we’ll have our bridge back. Stay tuned for any changes in the schedule.

Someone on Western Avenue was angry today.

I was about a block from my office today, stressed as usual because I was running late and my coffee maker decided to break down on me before I could have my morning cup of joe. That being said, it was soon apparent I wasn’t the only one having a rough morning.

The car in front of me, a Subaru station wagon, was clearly displeased. On the back were two bumperstickers; one telling me (or whoever is behind the car) to do something explicit to myself, the other raking on people who might tail too closely to the wagon. Additionally, one of those magnetic ribbons was affixed, instructing people to “Support B----ing.” Heh, cute.

The icing on the cake came when I pulled up alongside the driver. They gave me a look that could kill. I merely smiled and waved, having no clue if I had done something to deserve said look. Bad idea. When the light turned green, the driver (still trying to kill me with a piercing look) gunned it out of the intersection. Clearly, road rage at its finest.

We’ve probably all been a victim of — or perpetrator of — road rage at one point in our driving career. Even the Kennebec Commuter herself has been seen on the interstate impatiently laying on the horn a few times. Its been an issue since Henry Ford rolled the Model T off the assembly lines, but it has only been within the last decade that people have really started taking notice. In fact, some therapists have certified road rage as an official mental disorder, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

Driving defensively is a must for motorists, no matter the season. The National Safety Council has provided a few easy tips which can ease traffic and benefit all motorists, including these, which can be found on their web site, www.nsc.org

• Don't start the engine without securing each passenger in the car, including children and pets. Safety belts save thousands of lives each year.

• Remember that driving too fast or too slow can increase the likelihood of collisions.

• Be alert! If you notice that a car is straddling the center line, weaving, making wide turns, stopping abruptly or responding slowly to traffic signals, the driver may be impaired.

• Follow the rules of the road. Don't contest the "right of way" or try to race another car during a merge. Be respectful of other motorists.

• Don't follow too closely. Always use a "three-second following distance" or a "three-second plus following distance."

Those who favor the Route 197 and Stevenstown Road bridges to get home to Litchfield will need to consider an alternative route tonight.

The north- and southbound lanes on both bridges, between mile markers 93 and 96, will be closed during rush hours until 7 p.m. for bridge painting, officials from the Maine Turnpike said this morning.

The northbound lane of the Maine Turnpike from Exit 102 in West Gardiner to Exit 109 in Augusta reopened at 3 p.m. today, which should ensure a steady commute home.

In the heart of the capital city, no serious vehicle accidents have been reported; and with the east side’s traffic lights free of fried critters, (see previous entry) the drive home or to sports practice should be event-free.

For those who work the graveyard shift, your drive may be met by fog and hit-or-miss showers, according to the National Weather Service. Give yourself a few extra minutes to get to work in case visibility is low.

If you were commuting east of the Kennebec River in Augusta today and the traffic lights were out, fear not — power has been restored and crew workers from Central Maine Power Co. were fixing the equipment.

The culprit of this morning's outage? A squirrel that got stuck in some electrical equipment. Needless to say, the squirrel didn’t survive the tangle and traffic lights were out for about an hour this morning.

The commute home should be much smoother tonight. No accidents have been reported in the capital or surrounding communities, and road conditions are dry throughout the area.

Good news for motorists in the Augusta area who have endured months of traffic tie-ups due to road and bridge work: the roads soon will be fixed.

The Western Avenue road project that is being built in conjunction with the up-and-coming Augusta Crossing is slated to wrap up Oct. 15, said Steve Hunnewell, a traffic engineer with the Maine Department of Transportation.

On the whole, Hunnewell said, drivers have been cooperative during the project. That being said, Hunnewell said it wouldn’t hurt to take it easy on the accelerator.

“The only complaint I’ve received from the contractors is that some people are driving pretty fast,” he said.

Just south of Augusta in Gardiner, work on the Pearl Harbor Remembrance Bridge also will be coming to a close in the next few weeks, much to the relief of drivers who use one of the several routes that come together at the bridge — including 201, 9, 27 and 126.

Jeff Folsom, resident engineer for the Maine DOT, said traffic should return to normal by Oct. 13.

“We’re flying right through our work,” Folsom said. “We need to do some more paving and stripe the road.”

Have a traffic tip or a commuter scoop? E-mail Meghan V. Malloy at: mmalloy@centralmaine.com