Labor Day: A Last Hurrah for Summer Fun, Travel : Holiday: Freeways, theme parks, the airport and beaches will receive a final seasonal assault this long weekend. Then it’s back to school and increased rush-hour congestion.

The bad news is that traffic and crowds--from the beaches to John Wayne Airport to Disneyland--will be horrible during the Labor Day weekend. The good news is that it will lighten up considerably afterward, because the weekend also signals the unofficial end of summer.

At John Wayne Airport, the crush of holiday travelers was worsened by detours and orange cones, byproducts of the construction of the new terminal. But this is the last holiday season in which airport users will have to put up with the dust and CHP warns confusion. A grand opening for the new $310-million terminal is scheduled next week.

Greg Manning, who waited in the long line of cars backed up to McArthur Boulevard waiting to make their way to the passenger and baggage area, said the construction has been an inconvenience.

“People don’t know where they are going. People are confused because of all of the construction going on,” he said. “If you are new to the area and you don’t know this is under construction you can really get screwed up.”

Others more familiar with the detours said traffic was only a bit heavier than usual for a Friday afternoon, and it could have been worse on the first day of the Labor Day weekend.

“The congestion is more than normal,” Donna Harrison said as she waited by the loading zone. “But I just came right in, no problem.”

Outside the airport, the California Highway Patrol braced for what officials expect to be one of the worst traffic weekends of the year.

“It’s the last (holiday) weekend of the summer, and people are trying to get in their last bit of fun,” CHP Spokeswoman Linda Burrus said.

Traffic on the Riverside Freeway--an Orange County east-west corridor--began backing up Friday at 1 p.m., Burrus said, and an additional 12 to 16 officers will be patrolling the highways through Monday evening.

“It (Monday) is just like a regular commuter day in our eyes even though it’s a holiday,” she added.

And although the crush of holiday drivers will be over by Monday, the California Department of Transportation said motorists should expect heavier commuter traffic after Labor Day, when vacations will be over and people will be returning to work and school.

Labor Day also signals the end to crowded beaches and area amusement parks.

The cities of Laguna Beach and Newport Beach plan to reduce the number of lifeguards on duty after Sept. 9, once most area schools reopen.

But officials agree that the fall weather is the best for surfers. With fewer tourists, locals feel the beaches have been returned to them.

“In October and November, we have our best weather,” said Bruce Baird chief of marine safety for Laguna Beach.

Ken Jacobsen, Newport Beach’s chief lifeguard, said Labor Day can be less crowded than most people think because it “scares a lot of people” who don’t want to fight the traffic.

The last thing business owners on Balboa Peninsula want is less traffic, said Robert Kalatschan, whose father owns the Original Pizza shop on West Balboa Boulevard.

“Have you been to a morgue lately?” Kalatschan asked as he described what business is like after the summer season.

After being at the same location for 27 years, Kalatschan said the only good thing about the slower business season is the return of patrons in the fall who stayed away from the summer crowds.

Although there never seems to be a “slow period” at Disneyland, park spokesman John McClintock said the park will operate on reduced hours and with a smaller staff beginning Sept. 10.

The last fireworks display is planned the evening of Sept. 8 and the last Main Street Electrical Parade--made up of lighted floats--will be take place Sept. 9, he added.