COLUMBUS – Bigger paychecks and low unemployment add up to crowded highways and airports over the long Fourth of July holiday weekend, according to estimates released Thursday byt the auto club AAA.
“Confident consumers with additional disposable income will look to spend on travel this holiday, building on an already busy summer travel season,” Bill Sutherland, senior vice president, AAA Travel and Publishing, said.
A record 46.9 million Americans, including 2 million Ohioans, plan to travel at least 50 miles from home between Tuesday, July 3, and Sunday, July 8. This is an increase of more than 6 percent in Ohio from last year, says Kim Schwind, spokesperson for AAA Ohio.
Fourth of July is typically the busiest summer travel holiday, since school is out and many families plan big summer trips then but travel volume is expected to get a boost this year from the strong economy and the longer holiday period, says Schwind.
“When the Fourth of July lands on a Wednesday, we see an extended holiday period and more options for people to travel both before and after the holiday,” she said.
Nearly 1.8 million Ohioans will be among the 39.7 million people nationwide who drive to their destinations, despite gas prices dramatically higher than last year. According to a recent AAA survey, 18 percent of travelers say they would consider adjusting their summer travel plans to travel closer to home if gas prices hit $2.75, while 33 percent said they would adjust their plans at $3 a gallon.
Gas prices (Monday, July 2)
COLUMBUS…………$2.83
Cleveland………..$2.73
Toledo…………..$2.67
Dayton…………..$2.82
Cincinnati……….$2.85
OHIO…………….$2.86
Kentucky…………$2.78
W. Virginia………$2.84
Indiana………….$2.91
Michigan…………$2.98
Pennsylvania……..$3.02
Source: AAA
The price in Columbus jumped 9 cents overnight to $2.83, 75 cents more expensive than at the same time in 2017, according to a daily survey by the AAA, the Oil Price Information Service and WEX, Inc.
“We have seen prices relatively stabilized and drop a little bit [since Memorial Day] but we do expect to see prices remain around the $2.85 to $3.05 range nationally through Labor Day,” Schwind said.
The global transportation analytics company INRIX predicts travel times in the most congested U.S. cities could be twice as long as the normal trip with the worst congestion taking place late afternoon on Tuesday as commuters leave work early and mix with holiday travelers.
A record-breaking 3.8 million Americans will travel by air, including nearly 88,000 Ohioans, the fifth consecutive year of air travel growth.