The coronavirus pandemic has caused most Americans to stay at home and follow social distancing rules, which has resulted in significant reductions in traffic, according to a new report from the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association (IBTTA).
Additionally, revenues based on traffic from tolls on roads and bridges have been severely impacted. The IBTTA said that since the middle of March, toll facilities have seen traffic and revenue decline by 50% to 90%.
“If this were any other year, we would be talking about Memorial Day traffic, one of the busiest travel weekends of the year,” said Patrick D. Jones, executive director and CEO of IBTTA. “Instead, we are talking about the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on our nation’s economy and our daily lives.”
Memorial Day, which is the unofficial start of summer, is traditionally one of the busiest times of the year on roadways and bridges. However, because of the response from Americans to the COVID-19 pandemic, many transportation systems are expected to experience ongoing steep traffic and revenue declines.
According to officials at the IBTTA, early May trends are showing some increases in traffic as shelter-in-place orders begin to ease and businesses open. But it is highly unlikely it will be anything close to normal.
