Police To Ramp Up I-95, Chesapeake House Patrols For Thanksgiving

PERRYVILLE, MD — Drivers around Perryville may notice more police on the roads this week. Officers from the JFK Highway barrack will be patrolling Interstate 95 north of Baltimore to the Delaware line with a focus on minimizing delays from traffic violations and crashes during the Thanksgiving rush, police reported.

More than 2.2 million motorists are expected on Maryland highways, bridges and tunnels this Thanksgiving, the Maryland Transportation Authority says.

To help keep roads and rest areas safe, state troopers will be out in force, including at the Chesapeake House on I-95 near Perryville and the Maryland House near Aberdeen.

The plan is to have "high visibility patrols" at the rest areas "to deter crime and assist travelers moving through the state," police said in a statement.

The rest area and I-95 patrols are among several special enforcement initiative planned across the state during the holiday week to maintain safety as more people hit the road. Grants from the Maryland Department of Transportation Highway Safety Office will allow for more officers to be out, officials reported, and all 23 Maryland State Police barracks are participating in special enforcement efforts to curb impaired, aggressive and distracted driving around the holiday.

In the days leading up to Thanksgiving, troopers will be conducting a nighttime effort called "Operation Night Owl." The operation consists of high-visibility patrols during off-peak hours with police looking for commercial vehicle violations and criminal behaviors from Sunday, Nov. 19, to Thursday, Nov. 23.

Troopers from Westminster, Waterloo, Bel Air and Golden Ring barracks all plan to conduct DUI saturation patrols, police said. They will be on the lookout in particular from Thursday through Sunday, officials advised.

During peak travel times, extra officers will be posted along I-95, I-495, I-270, I-70 and I-68, according to Maryland State Police.

• Best I-95 Drive Times On Thanksgiving 2017 In Maryland: MDTA

Image via MDTA.