HYANNIS – The Cape Cod Commission has reported that although traffic was down significantly on Cape Cod during the spring, traffic volumes increased and actually approached normal volumes over the summer.
Transportation Program Manager with the Cape Cod Commission Steven Tupper said that the Cape was one of the few areas to see an increase so soon.
“We were one of the regions that saw a rebound in traffic sooner than some other areas. Particularly those visitors that didn’t come down in the same numbers they always did, but really there was a lot of strength in the visitation numbers,” said Tupper.
Tupper said that traffic going to other regions such as the commute traffic going into Boston took quite a bit longer to rebound than Cape Cod’s.
Comparisons in vehicle crossings over the Sagamore and Bourne Bridges this season compared to previous years showed traffic to be down 25 percent over Memorial Day weekend.
However, bridge traffic was down only 17 percent over the averaged weekends of July and down just 10 percent on average over the month of August.
Over Labor Day weekend, bridge crossings were actually up by 2 percent on average when compared to previous years.
On Route 28 and Lumbert Mill Road, traffic trends were similar, showing a decrease of 38 percent in April but only an 11 percent decrease by August.
As the winter season approaches and COVID-19 restrictions continue, Tupper said that predictions are hard to make though it is unlikely the upcoming season will be average.
“As we still see a contingent of the workforce working from home; that will take a knock into traffic. And the current schooling situation is certainly up in the air and ever-changing, so I think it will certainly not be a normal fall or winter in terms of traffic,” said Tupper.
The Cape Cod Commission will continue to monitor the changes in traffic volumes as the season continues, said Tupper.
More data collected by the Cape Cod Commission can be found here.
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