Traffic down nearly 70% in McAllen

McALLEN — Traffic along major roadways here was down by nearly 70% this weekend, according to a news release from the city Tuesday.

Last week, Hidalgo County Judge Richard Cortez issued a stay-at-home order for the entire county to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, encouraging residents to continue to practice social distancing and limit gatherings.

“In an effort to gauge whether the stay at home order was being adhered to, the City of McAllen Traffic Operations department conducted vehicle counts for the first weekend of the stay at home order,” city officials said in a news release. “Traffic counters were set up at major roadways in various locations around McAllen.”

Traffic was down 69% near the intersection of Second Street and Nolana Avenue when compared to a weekend in 2019, officials said.

Traffic was also down about 69% near the intersection of Ware Road and Nolana Avenue when compared to a weekend in 2018.

McAllen Traffic Operations will continue to collect data throughout the remainder of the week.