The PA Turnpike Commission Wednesday projected 3.5 million motorists will travel the Turnpike during the six-day travel period beginning today and ending Tuesday.

"The summer travel season closes out this weekend and traffic is expected to be heavy as motorists take advantage of final summer getaways," said PA Turnpike CEO Mark Compton. "We have planned accordingly so motorists will not be detained by any scheduled maintenance or construction projects. All lanes are slated to be open and additional safety, maintenance and PA State Police patrols will be on our roadway to address additionally traffic needs."Beginning 5 a.m. on Friday until 11 p.m. on Tuesday, all lanes in each direction of the Turnpike will be open and available to accommodate heavier traffic volumes. All scheduled maintenance and construction projects will be suspended during these times.Friday is slated to be the most heavily traveled day with approximately 750,000 vehicles on the turnpike. Today, approximately 670,000 vehicles were expected.Motorists should also be aware that after the holiday weekend, the PA Turnpike will begin decommissioning and removing call boxes that are installed intermittently along the roadway."We have approximately 1,000 call boxes that, before cellphones, safety patrols and road cameras, were used by motorists who had broken down along the roadway and may need some type of assistance," explains PA Turnpike Chief Operating Officer Craig Shuey."Our review and analysis shows that use of those boxes has declined to the point that each box may only be used once a year, while maintenance of the call boxes costs $250,000 a year. More importantly, it is much safer for motorists to stay in their car and report any incidents from their own phone."The PTC now uses the following to keep fully apprised of the safety of motorists:• "*11" and "911" cellphone calls by passers-by• Closed Circuit Television Cameras• Pennsylvania State Police Troop T• Turnpike Safety Service Patrol