Holiday weekend to feature costly gas, humid weather

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The estimated 69.6 million Americans who are expected to travel by car during the Labor Day weekend will face the highest gasoline prices since 2014.

Gasoline averaged $3.04 a gallon this week, a price that has held steady for at least the past month, said Jim Garrity, public and community relations manager for East Central AAA. Even though that’s the highest at Labor Day weekend in five years, Mr. Garrity said, it isn’t keeping motorists home.

“All summer, prices have been high, but we haven’t seen any indication people aren’t traveling,” Mr. Garrity said Thursday.

The Pennsylvania Turnpike expects about 3.5 million vehicles to use the toll road between Thursday and Tuesday. The heaviest travel day is expected to be Friday, with about 750,000 vehicles and a peak expected in the afternoon, followed by Tuesday with 615,000.

The turnpike and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation have suspended most construction and maintenance work for the holiday weekend.

And when people travel, they spend money. The website RewardExpert, which offers consumer information and rewards for travel and shopping, estimates Americans will spend $13.5 billion traveling and more than $185 million shopping over the weekend, especially buying clothes, school supplies and electronics.

One thing seems certain this weekend: The Pittsburgh area will remain in Mother Nature’s sauna through Tuesday.

National Weather Service meteorologist Lee Hendricks said the weather pattern will