Turnpike officials announced today all construction on the Turnpike will stop over the holiday weekend, as an influx of vehicles are expected on the road.

Officials said in a release today more than 710,000 vehicles will travel on the Turnpike between tomorrow afternoon and Monday. Officials added 17.7 million cars, trucks, vans and motorcycles traveled on the Turnpike from June 1 to Aug. 24 this year alone.

Hang in there folks ... it is almost Labor Day weekend.

Though the end of summer is on the horizon, construction season is still in full force. Here are some projects on the Maine Turnpike to look out for this week:

WEST GARDINER -- There will be north- and southbound lane closures at mile marker 102 as workers continue bridge repairs from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. today. The speed limit will be reduced to 50 mph. This work will continue through Wednesday.

WEST GARDINER -- There will be north- and southbound lane closures at mile marker 103 as workers continue repairing pavement. The work will be done overnight, from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. The speed limit will be reduced to 50 mph. This work will continue through Wednesday.

Keep checking back at www.kjonline.com for construction updates and news.

We have a great discussion started concerning motorcycle safety and fatalities in our state. Many of you took time out of your day last night and all day today to drop us a line to offer your observations and thoughts. No one, however, mentioned if they ride a motorcycle themselves.

We'd like to talk to some of you motorcycle riders in the next few days for an upcoming column. What are some safety precautions you always take before taking to the road? What do you observe your fellow riders doing? What do you feel contributes to motorcycle related deaths in Maine?

Don't be bashful about speaking up; you could save a life!

You know the drill -- drop us a line pronto at 623-3811 ext. 431 or mmalloy@centralmaine.com.

Mary Peters, U.S. Secretary of Transportation, said late last week motorcycle-related deaths are contuing to climb, even though deaths in other traffic-related accidents, involving cars, trucks or buses, for example, are going down.

Though officials can speculate as to why these trends are continuing, nothing specific can pinpoint the cause.

There have been at least five motorcycle related deaths in central Maine this year alone, including the death of beloved school nurse, Susan McConnell, a 43 year-old woman frorm Winthrop.

Sound off: Why do you think motorcycle-related deaths continue to rise? What behaviors do you see motorcyclists take while on the road? If you're a motorcyclist, what precautions do you take when you ride?

Drop us a line at 623-3811 ext. 431 or mmalloy@centralmaine.com and fill us in.

Several communities throughout central and southern Maine may be disappointed to hear, but road paving projects that are supposed to happen this construction season will have to wait another year.

The Maine Department of Transportation announced this week their paving budget has been drained, and funding has dried up to complete 17 additional projects that were supposed to happen this season.

Mark Latti, a spokesman for MaineDOT, said the rising cost of oil and demand are the culprits .

Delayed projects will not start until spring 2009, Latti said. Bridge rehibilitation and road reconstruction projects are not affected.

If you are affected by any of the projects, let us know your thoughts. Drop us a line at 623-3811 ext. 431 or mmalloy@centralmaine.com

Keep an eye out for this construction work on the Maine Turnpike tonight and Tuesday:

• A northbound lane on the turnpike will reopen by 5 p.m. today. The closure, occurring at mile marker 101 in West Gardiner, is necessary for repairs on the Route 126 Bridge.

• Across the median, a southbound lane will shut down at 7 p.m. for more bridge work. The lane at mile marker 102 will reopen Tuesday at 5 a.m., just before the morning commute.

So we have some excellent news.

We could have another interstate back online, much sooner than anticipated.

Carrie Riley from the Maine Department of Transportation put the bug in our ear that the southbound lanes of I-295 could open as early as Sunday morning, if the weather chooses to cooperate.

Yeah, THIS Sunday.

The 18-mile stretch was not scheduled to reopen until Aug. 30.

In a release from MaineDOT, Commissioner David A. Cole said the project "was a great success and underscored the reasoning to completely close the road to safely, quickly and effectively complete the work. We are extremely pleased we are able to open ahead of schedule."

Keep checking back to www.kjonline.com this weekend for updates on the official reopening.

On a dreary, drizzling day such as this, it can help to hear a bit of good news, and here it is:

Gas prices have dropped for almost three straight weeks.

AAA has reported to numerous media outlets gas prices have fallen by a quarter, on average.

Do you think we will continue to see relief at the pump? Let us know what you think.

Also, we are just about three weeks out from the southbound lanes of Interstate 295 reopening. For the duration of the summer, traffic has been forced on to U.S. Route 201 and the Maine Turnpike.

Did this construction project greatly effect your commute? Did the detours cause any significant inconvenience? Again, let us know pronto. Call 623-3811 ext. 431 or e-mail mmalloy@centralmaine.com

Construction at various points on the Maine Turnpike may give drivers cause to slow down.

The northbound lane at mile marker 102 in West Gardiner will reopen at 5 p.m. where crews are working on a bridge. The lane will again close at 7 p.m. for overnight work, reopening at 5 a.m. tomorrow morning.

The northbound and southbound lanes between mile markers 106 and 109 in Farmingdale and Hallowell will close tonight at 5 p.m. for overnight work on two bridges.

The lanes will open again before the morning commute, at 5 a.m.

Several vehicle accidents in the central Maine area may cause traffic tieups, and one Augusta Road had to be shut down.

Augusta police shut down Leighton Road after a dump truck rolled over around 3 p.m.

Elsewhere in the region, six vehicles were involved in a crash that required LifeFlight helicopters to be called.

The crash, reported at 2:20 p.m., happened on Route 3 near North Country Harley Davidson, according to police.

Finally, two people escaped serious injury after two vehicles crashed this morning in Litchfield.

The two drivers, the only people involved, were taken to Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston. The crash happened at Route 126 and Hallowell-Litchfield Road.

Check out tomorrow's Kennebec Journal for details on all three crashes.