You won't have to deal with construction, but you will see more squads on the roads this weekend

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- Hitting the road this Labor Day weekend? You'll be joined by law enforcement officials keeping a close eye on the roadways.

AAA predicts nearly 35 million people in the United States will travel 50 miles or more from home this Labor Day weekend.

The Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office will be working to keep motorists safe.

Sheriff David Clarke says motorists will see added patrols on the freeways in Milwaukee County starting Thursday, August 28th, through next Monday night.

So what steps can you take to ensure you reach your destination safely?

"Remember -- drive the speed limit and at a reasonable speed, pay attention, limit the distractions inside the vehicle, buckle up, and drive sober," Sheriff Clarke said.

Sheriff Clarke is also reminding drivers to move over when they have someone pulled over. In the past year, eight Milwaukee County Sheriff's squad cars have been hit when they already had someone pulled over.

Something you won't have to deal with on the roads this Labor Day weekend: construction.

To minimize disruptions for Labor Day holiday travelers in Wisconsin, most major highway construction projects will be suspended during the three-day weekend. However, motorists may still encounter lane restrictions and traffic delays, according to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT).

Traffic is expected to be heavy throughout the holiday period with peak travel times likely to occur from noon until 8 p.m. on both Friday, Aug. 29, and Monday, Sept. 1. Drivers should give themselves sufficient time to reach their destination and be patient when encountering traffic congestion. Increased traffic during the holiday will make driving through work zones especially challenging, according to Don Greuel, WisDOT’s chief project services engineer.

“To prevent crashes, drivers must slow down, pay attention and not tailgate when approaching and traveling through work zones. Rear-end collisions caused primarily by speeding, distracted driving and following other vehicles too closely are the most frequent type of crash in work zones,” Greuel says.

Last year, 10 people died in 10 traffic crashes in Wisconsin during the Labor Day holiday period. To prevent deaths and injuries, law enforcement officers from nearly 400 agencies throughout the state will be out in force to arrest drunken drivers during the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign, according to David Pabst, director of the WisDOT Bureau of Transportation Safety. The national drunken driving crackdown, which started on Aug. 15, will continue through Labor Day.

The State Patrol also will be using its aircraft for aerial enforcement. The dates, times and locations of many of the aerial enforcement missions will be announced in advance on Twitter (@WisconsinDOT, #WisDOT).

Road construction projects that may impact travel and where motorists may encounter delays especially during peak travel periods include:

Southeast Region:

Southwest Region:

North Central Region:

Northwest Region:

Northeast Region:

For up-to-the-minute information on work zones and incidents that may affect highway travel, motorists can use the state’s 511 travel information system by dialing 511 on a phone or visiting Wisconsin 511 online (www.511wi.gov).

Statewide travel information is also now available via Twitter (https://twitter.com/511WI) at Wisconsin511@511WI.

Easy links to various 511 Twitter sites, as well as to other WisDOT social media sites, are available on WisDOT’s Stay Connected webpage (http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/util/stayconnected.htm).

To eliminate distractions while behind the wheel, drivers should use mobile communication devices only when their vehicle is completely stopped and off the traveled portion of the roadway.