XENIA — More than 30,000 amateur radio enthusiasts are expected to be in the Xenia area for Hamvention beginning Friday May 18.

With that comes thousands of extra vehicles to city and township roads.

Traffic patterns into the Greene County Fairgrounds will remain the same as last year, according to Sheriff Gene Fischer. Drivers coming in from the west on U.S. 35 will be routed north on Trebein Road to alleviate traffic downtown and on North Detroit Street. There will also be traffic coming into the area from the north and south.

“Detroit Street on Friday (last year) was a nightmare,” Fischer said. “We were able to get that straightened out about 10 a.m.”

Fischer said there will be some “different things” being done at the Fairgrounds to help relieve congestion.

“If that works, it should allow Detroit Street traffic to flow a little easier,” he said.

Nonetheless, local residents are encouraged to take back streets through neighborhoods between 7-10 a.m. if they see traffic on North Detroit Street and Fairground Road — or on any other main road — begin to snarl.

Fischer added that westbound Dayton-Xenia Road from Progress to Hawkins will be closed Friday morning.

To help with traffic and parking, there are five park and shuttle lots including Xenia High School and the old Kmart parking lot in Xenia Towne Square.