Dan Paradee, spokesman for the Maine turnpike, predicts that traffic will be up at the York Toll Plaza this Fourth of July. Paradee is basing his prediction on the Center for Tourism Research and Outreach (CENTRO) at the University of Southern Maine. Paradee expects 45,000 vehicles or more to head north through the York tolls, with 695,000 vehicles taking to the road between York and Augusta over the entire holiday weekend. For the month of June, traffic was down 3 percent from last year. What are the reasons for the anticipated increase? Lower gas prices than last year, an improving economy, and the possibility of better weather, says Paradee.