PORTLAND — Fourth of July traffic on the Maine Turnpike will be less than half last year’s volumes because of the timing of the holiday, reports The Portland Press Herald.

With Independence Day falling on a Wednesday, the University of Maine System’s Center for Tourism Research and Outreach says about 21,300 vehicles will pass through the York toll plaza on Wednesday.

On July 4 last year, which fell on a Monday, about 53,000 vehicles went through the York plaza.

The Portland Press Herald says the center is forecasting that roughly 350,000 vehicles will go through the York plaza from Wednesday through Monday.

That’s about 6 percent below the numbers in 2007, the last time Independence Day fell on a Monday.