Treading into the holiday
Traffic could be heavy this weekend as millions take to nation’s highways
For those of you hitting the road this Labor Day weekend, plan for a little extra travel time.
That’s because a record number of Americans are traveling this summer. And while specific travel projections aren’t available for the Labor Day holiday — as they are with some other holidays — the AAA Auto Club anticipates a busy weekend.
For Memorial Day weekend, more than 41.5 million Americans filled the roads, marking the start of summer, according to AAA. That’s nearly 5 percent more than last year and the most in more than a dozen years.
And on Independence Day, a record-breaking 46.9 million Americans traveled 50 miles or more away from home, a 5 percent increase from last year and the highest number since AAA started tracking 18 years ago.
“Gasoline prices are holding steady, giving Americans the extra boost they need to hit the road,” AAA spokeswoman Stephanie Milani said.
That is despite gas prices being up 41.4 cents a gallon from a year ago and at the highest they’ve been in four years. Prices at the pump are still down from their summertime highs and are likely to decline some this fall, however, according to Gasbuddy.com.
With more people on the road in mind, the Tennessee Highway Safety Office partnered earlier this month with state and local law enforcement for its “Booze It and Lose It” campaign surrounding the Labor Day holiday in an effort to reduce the number of drunk-driving crashes, injuries and fatalities.
The holiday weekend also marks the end of the “100 deadliest days” of summer, the period between Memorial Day and Labor Day, when more than 1,050 people were killed in crashes involving teen drivers in 2016, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.
“Historically, Labor Day is the third most traveled summer holiday and many see it as the last opportunity for a summer road trip,” Milani said.
Chattanooga’s location, being centered among five larger cities, is ideal for a quick road trip.
And based on the first six months of 2018, officials with the Chattanooga Convention and Visitors Bureau anticipate meeting or exceeding 2017 figures this year to achieve another record year for tourism.
“For a lot of folks who have already had a bigger vacation, perhaps down to Florida or the coast somewhere, and they’re wanting to get one more trip in, Chattanooga is a destination that’s quick and easy for a lot of folks,” said Thom Benson, spokesman for the Tennessee Aquarium. The aquarium is expecting to see an increase in traffic over the weekend.
Barry White, president and CEO of the Chattanooga Convention and Visitors Bureau, said they’re hoping the upward trend in tourism carries over to the holiday weekend.
“All indications point towards a good weekend for us,” he said, adding, “It’s a little bit weather contingent.”
While some attractions do see more visitors over Labor Day weekend than they normally would, some attractions would be more affected by bad weather than others.
“We may see that effect for Rock City than we would for Ruby Falls, for instance, or the aquarium,” he said. “Good weather is a key to just allowing everybody to enjoy everything that the area has to offer.”
According to forecasts, this weekend’s weather will likely be favorable, Paul Barys, WRCBTV News Channel 3 chief meteorologist, said Wednesday. Rain chances are expected to dwindle down from 80 percent to around 20 percent as the weekend progresses.
Temperatures will be in the mid- to upper-80s, as well, with lows in the low 70s.
“It’s pretty much your typical summertime pattern,” Barys said, noting no major concerns for weekend travelers other than run-of-the-mill thunderstorms.
“If you get under a heavy warning, just watch out,” he said.