Lower gas prices and a resilient local economy will fuel a busier Memorial Day travel rush this year after a slump in 2008, according to AAA Mid-Atlantic.
About 730,000 Washington-area residents are expected to flee the area over the holiday weekend, and more than 80 percent of them will drive, the auto club and travel agency said Wednesday. That means some 33,000 more travelers will take to the region’s roads, a 5 percent increase from last summer, when a spike in gasoline prices caused many people to stay home.
“This year it’s clear that sharply lower gas prices have people feeling better about taking a road trip,” said AAA spokesman Lon Anderson.
Despite a recent rise, fuel prices are still well below last summer’s record highs. The average cost for regular gas in the Washington area is $2.38 a gallon, a sizable jump from $2.13 in April but well below the $3.88 drivers were paying a year ago.
Nationwide, AAA expects a 2.6 percent uptick in road traffic this Memorial Day, the first increase since 2005. In the Washington area, however, the jump in holiday motorists is expected to be about double that.
“It is a testimony to the strength of the local economy in the face of difficult economic times,” Anderson said.
Local highway authorities are preparing for the glut of motorists by suspending construction on major roads in the region, ramping up police patrols, and encouraging people to plan ahead.
In Maryland, officials expect more than 300,000 beach-going vehicles to cross the Chesapeake Bay Bridge over the holiday weekend.
All construction on the two spans will be suspended beginning Friday morning, but preservation work to maintain the westbound span will continue, according to the Maryland Transportation Authority. Drivers headed to the beach should check traffic conditions on the bridge before leaving, and are encouraged travel before noon or after 10 p.m.
Virginia is suspending construction on its interstate highways from noon Friday until noon Tuesday. HOV restrictions in Northern Virginia will be lifted on Monday, said a spokesman for the state’s Department of Transportation.
