Some residents of Clarksburg, Maryland, say they're having a tough time after traffic to and from a new outlet shopping center has choked local roads.
"Traffic is a mess... it's terrible," said Leta Wolfe, who lives down the street from the newly opened Clarksburg Premium Outlets.
Wolfe said she's lived there for eight years -- but maybe not for much longer.
"I'm thinking about moving," she said.
There were huge crowds when the outlets opened Oct. 27, and they keep on coming. Wolfe and other residents say traffic backs up on Interstate 270 so much that they avoid it completely if they can.
Traffic was much better Friday, since Veterans Day is a federal holiday. But other days, drivers can find traffic delays of up to five miles on I-270.
While the crowds are good for the mall's bottom line, as the holiday season approaches, there's concern the traffic will only get worse when the outlet extends its hours, and even more shoppers flood the area.
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"Clarksburg isn't really built for this influx," said a man who grew up in the area. "I mean, you can see it. [Route] 355 is a one-lane road. [Route] 27, they're turning into a two-lane road.... There's just not enough infrastructure to support something like this right now."
Construction continues around the mall, and the bridges over I-270 are still being worked on. There are new lanes and signals, but some are still concerned whether it will be enough to handle both shoppers and commuters.
Simon Properties, which owns the outlet center, said they're working with country leaders and transportation officials to try to keep traffic flowing as best they can.
