Traffic congestion expected to worsen Tuesday as more kids head back to school

Traffic congestion expected to worsen Tuesday

Summer is coming to an end, kids are heading back to school, and unfortunately, that means traffic will be returning to the D.C. area, too.

WASHINGTON (FOX 5 DC) - Summer is coming to an end, kids are heading back to school, and unfortunately, that means traffic will be returning to the D.C. area too.

“The commutes become longer, the delays become longer, and we once again will feel the full brunt of the third-worst congestion in the nation,” said AAA Spokesperson John Townsend.

Things look so bleak, Townsend called this coming Tuesday — when students in Maryland, D.C., and Virginia are all back at school — “Terrible Traffic Tuesday.” He added that if you compare early August congestion to the first week of September, some roads will see a traffic increase of between 15 and 45 percent.

Not to mention, the major Metro construction project that caused six blue and yellow line stations to shut down for the summer is still ongoing. The project isn’t scheduled to conclude until early next week.

“It is going to be a terrible traffic mix and a horrendous traffic nightmare,” Townsend added. “Nothing you can do about it except have plenty of patience.”