Crowds attending the annual Lobster Festival in Rockland and a Phish concert in Limestone are expected to jam the Maine Turnpike this weekend, officials say.

An estimated 90,000 people are expected to attend the Lobster Festival, according to the Maine Turnpike Authority. Thousands more are extended to attend the concert. Both events come on one of the three busiest weekends of the year.

“This is definitely one of those weekends where it will pay to beat the rush or wait until it’s over,” said Dan Paradee, spokesman for the Maine Turnpike Association. “We strongly encourage people to get out on the road early in the morning, if at all possible.”

More than 602,000 people traveled on the turnpike on the first weekend in August 2002, with more than 229,000 traveling on Friday, 195,000 traveling on Saturday and 178,000 on Sunday.

Motorists should expect heavy traffic on the turnpike, particularly on northbound lanes between 3 and 7 p.m. Friday, in both directions from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and southbound from 2 to 7 p.m. Sunday.

The authority has suspended all construction along the turnpike for the weekend and State Police are expected to step up their patrols.