Spring Training is back and Lee County’s Traffic Operations Center reminds motorists to be prepared for increased traffic near the stadiums at game time, especially when the Minnesota Twins and the Boston Red Sox take to their respective fields at the same time on the same day.

Both stadiums will be operating at reduced capacity to allow for social distancing, but the proximity of the stadiums may result in increased traffic congestion.

This year, DOT advises motorists to avoid the Daniels Parkway corridor on the afternoon of three specific dates:

* Friday, March 12 ‒ The Boston Red Sox host the Tampa Bay Rays at Jet Blue Stadium and Minnesota Twins host the Atlanta Braves at Hammond Stadium. Both games start at 1:05 p.m. Peak traffic is anticipated between the hours of 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. and then again between 3:45 and 4:30 p.m.

* Tuesday, March 16 ‒ The Minnesota Twins host the Pittsburgh Pirates at Hammond Stadium and The Boston Red Sox will host the Atlanta Braves at Jet Blue Stadium with both games starting at 1:05 p.m.

* Tuesday, March 30 ‒ The Minnesota Twins will host the Pittsburgh Pirates at the Hammond Stadium with the game starting at 12:05 p.m. and the Boston Red Sox will host the Atlanta Braves at Jet Blue Stadium with game starting at 1:05 p.m.

The DOT operations center has special programming for traffic-signal timing to help keep vehicles moving. The county’s traffic specialists also coordinate with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office and the baseball teams.

The Boston Red Sox train at JetBlue Park, 11500 Fenway South Drive, Fort Myers, and the Minnesota Twins train about six miles away at the CenturyLink Sports Complex, 14100 Ben C. Pratt/Six Mile Cypress Parkway, Fort Myers.

For emergency or non-emergency questions about the traffic signal operation, contact the TOC at LeeTrafficTOC@leegov.com. For more information about the Lee County Department of Transportation, visit www.leegov.com/dot.