Holiday Weekend

Could Delaware's infamous toll plaza bottleneck finally have been uncorked? Delaware Department of Transportation officials say they've completed a $32.6 million project — just in time for the July 4 holiday weekend — that will greatly reduce the mind-numbing toll collection backups that have made Delaware's border with Maryland the most dreaded stretch of Interstate 95 from Maine to Miami. Department spokesman Michael Williams said the opening of two new high-speed E-ZPass lanes in each direction "will result in dramatic changes in what motorists face when they transit the Newark toll plaza in Delaware.

If there's an app that tells you about the availability and prices of steamed crabs, I can't find it. Until then, how about posting your tips here.  Email 'em to me if you want. richard.gorelick@baltsun.com, or twitter @gorelickingood, or the Baltimore Sun Taste section Facebook page . Here's Timothy B. Wheeler in today's paper about the crab supply (plentiful & price) for the July Fourth holiday weekend . Find places to have steamed crabs here . And, who wants to design the button for a steamed crab app?

Crabs are plentiful so far this year in Maryland, but that doesn't mean there'll be enough to go around on Independence Day weekend, when nearly every patriotic Marylander, it seems, dreams of feasting on the state's official crustacean. Nor will they be cheap - with the price for a bushel of big Jimmies, or male crabs, topping $200 in some places. Seafood dealers, restaurateurs and watermen say there's a good supply of blue crabs coming out of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries right now, despite the cold snap last winter that scientists say killed roughly a third of the population.

"Staycations" will rule this Fourth of July, according to AAAMid Atlantic. The group for motorists predicts that about 760,000 Marylanders will travel this coming weekend, a 2.9 percent decrease from last year. Ragina C. Averella, spokeswoman for AAA Mid-Atlantic, said that although travel by Marylanders is down from last year, the numbers are still promising overall. "Despite what may appear to be less than a stellar forecast for the July 4 holiday, overall travel is robust, reflecting the second consecutive year of healthy travel figures after declines for the 2008 and 2009 holidays," Averella said.

Laurel Park Grade II Fritchie Handicap among 3 SprintFest races Laurel Park will feature a full field for Monday's $150,000 General George Handicap (Grade II) pitting an evenly matched field of 14 sprinters. Laurel's SprintFest weekend also includes the $150,000 Barbara Fritchie Handicap (Grade II) and the $75,000 John B. Campbell Handicap on Saturday afternoon. Maryland Jockey Club handicapper Frank Carulli has tabbed an entry from the powerful stable of Todd Pletcher as the 5-2 morning-line favorite.

Travelers faced crowded roads and airports Sunday at the tail end of the Thanksgiving holiday, but few encountered significant delays, transportation officials said. Holiday-related congestion was heaviest on Interstate 95, particularly close to the Delaware border, and traffic was compounded by two NFL games in Washington and Baltimore, as well as a cruise from the Port of Baltimore. No major incidents had been reported by late afternoon. At Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, there were sporadic delays from cities including Dallas, Cleveland and Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Flights to Philadelphia and Atlanta also were reported as delayed on the airport board.

Cam Newton, QB, Auburn Buzz: The SEC's offensive statistical leader — first in total offense (303.2 ypg), rushing (117.9 ypg) and passing efficiency (183.6) — should be rested and ready for this week's Iron Bowl. Brushing aside the recent off-the-field noise, Newton could all but wrap up the Heisman with a stellar performance against Alabama. Up next: at Alabama, Friday. LaMichael James, RB, Oregon Buzz: Looking to recover from his first subpar performance last week against Cal — failing to crack the century mark for the first time this season — James will face possibly his biggest test against the Pac-10's best rushing defense.

Taking to the roads this week for Thanksgiving is shaping up to be a grueling experience, especially for motorists headed north on Interstate 95. While the weather is expected to be pleasant and sunny, the forecast from Delaware is decidedly bleak, with that state's transportation officials suggesting travelers avoid going through the Newark Toll Plaza for much of the holiday weekend. Robert King, a spokesman for the Delaware Department of Transportation, said the northbound toll plaza will be down to six lanes instead of the normal nine because of a reconstruction project that is intended to make traffic flow through the notorious bottleneck better — starting in the summer of 2011.

It seems that for every good route to bypass the mid-Atlantic region's worst traffic bottlenecks, there's a better one. At least, that's what Getting There readers tell me as the Thanksgiving holiday weekend looms. Last week, I suggested strategies to avoid some of the worst traffic on the busiest travel days of the year – especially Wednesday and Sunday. At the time, readers were asked to contribute their refinements to these suggestions, and they responded generously with advice – though some weren't as generous with their names.

There is still plenty of uncertainty about just how close Hurricane Earl will come to the Delmarva coast when it passes by early Friday morning, and how much, if any, damage to expect. But holiday travelers determined to hit the beaches for the long Labor Day weekend can probably count on fine weather once the storm clears the region later on Friday. The National Weather Service is predicting showery, blustery weather for the resorts late Thursday and Friday. But skies should clear quickly as the storm races off to the northeast, and beachgoers can expect sunny skies and highs near 80 degrees from Saturday through Monday.