The past two Fourth of July weekends have been free of highway fatalities in Maine. Police and turnpike officials would like to keep the streak going.

Maine State Police plan to use their airplanes, unmarked cruisers and additional troopers this holiday weekend and throughout next week in traffic-enforcement efforts.

Public Safety Commissioner Michael P. Cantara said troopers will be targeting high crash and violation areas as part of the Strategic Area Focused Enforcement program.

Cantara said additional troopers will concentrate in locations along the turnpike, interstates and several secondary roads that have been identified as problem areas.

The commissioner said highway fatalities are down 23 percent for the year. At this time last year, 90 people had died on Maine roads, compared to 70 deaths this year.

This year’s total includes Thursday morning’s fatalities in Freeport that killed two young men, and a two-vehicle crash in Dresden on Wednesday afternoon that killed an elderly man.

Cantara said the three recent deaths are stark reminders that drivers need to be vigilant during the summer months.

“In an effort to reduce further deaths and because July and August are Maine’s deadliest months on the roads, state troopers will be increasing their efforts this summer looking for aggressive and impaired drivers and enforcing Maine’s seat belt and child safety seat laws,” Cantara said.

Maine’s efforts coincide with more traffic enforcement throughout New England and New York by state police organizations.

Maine State Police joined their counterparts from the five other New England states and New York at the Massachusetts State Police headquarters in Framingham on Thursday to discuss their holiday weekend enforcement efforts.

This is the second year in a row that the seven states have joined forces in a combined effort to reduce traffic crashes during the weekend.

Maine Turnpike officials are expecting more than 715,000 to travel the highway over the holiday weekend.

Today is expected to be the busiest day.

“All hands will be on deck and all travel lanes will be open for a very heavy traffic weekend,” Turnpike Executive Director Paul Violette said.

All turnpike construction projects have been suspended for the long weekend.

In Lewiston and Auburn, as well as in surrounding towns, some streets will be closed to accommodate Independence Day celebrations.

In the Twin Cities, the Longley Bridge will be closed to vehicle traffic about 8 p.m. before a fireworks display gets under way. Traffic will be diverted in both Lewiston and Auburn.

Local police also plan to keep extra officers on patrol over the weekends, with spot checks for drunk drivers, speeders and seat belt law violators.