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Expect Major Delays On I-95 North Near Del. Toll

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- If you're heading north this Christmas, construction could make it impossible to get anywhere fast.
Derek Valcourt has a look at what you can expect if you're traveling for the holidays.

 If you're heading home for the holidays and plan on taking I-95 N, you may want to prepare for some highway hassles.

The warnings come early on I-95 N. A construction project at the Newark, Delaware toll plaza means fewer working toll booths, fewer available lanes and a whole lot more traffic. 

Days before Christmas, when hundreds of thousands will travel on the main east coast artery, transportation officials are warning drivers to plan ahead.

"Travel during off peak-periods of time," said an official. That would be early in the mornings or late in the evenings. Or think of an alternate route around the toll plaza."  

The 47-year-old toll plaza is getting a $32 million renovation that won't be completed until next summer.  In the meantime, drivers will have to suffer through the delays.

Thanksgiving—one of the busiest travel holidays—brought miles of backup on I-95. That's despite a heavy campaign then to warn drivers about the delays.

"By getting the word out and telling everybody the situation at the toll plaza, traffic was actually reduced 10 percent from last year's traffic count, "said an official.

Officials hope by warning drivers before the holiday travel rush, they'll keep many from having a blue Christmas.

Officials say that there will be delays on the southbound direction of the Newark Delaware toll plaza, but they expect the worst of the problems to be headed northbound on I-95.

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