COLUMBUS – High gas prices will not deter Ohioans from traveling this Memorial Day weekend, indulging the wanderlust stifled by two years of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The auto club AAA predicts 39.2 million people, including nearly 1.5 million Ohioans, will travel 50 miles or more from home during the six-day holiday period from May 26 to May 31, a 6.9% increase over 2021 levels in Ohio, travel volumes that more closely resemble pre-pandemic levels, said Kimberly Schwind, senior public affairs manager for AAA Ohio.
Although gas prices are at record-high levels – flirting with $4.50 a gallon in Ohio early in the week — nearly 1.4 million Ohioans plan to be among the 34.9 million Americans who travel by car.
That is an increase of more than 4% in Ohio and nationally, said Paula Twidale, senior vice president of AAA Travel
Memorial Day gas prices
U.S………………………$4.60
Ohio……………….$4.44
Michigan……….….$4.56
Pennsylvania………$4.76
W. Virginia………….$4.45
Kentucky……………$4.30
Indiana……………$4.58
Cedar Point………..$4.46
King’s Island………..$4.48
Hocking Hills………$4.33
-Source: AAA
While road trips remain the main form of travel this holiday, expensive gas could be the reason a greater portion of travelers are opting for air and other modes of travel than last year.
Share of car travel for Ohio travelers is expected to fall from 94% in 2021 to 92%., though Kimberly Schwind, senior public affairs manager of AAA Ohio says, it is still expected to be higher than 2019, when 90% of Ohio travelers drove to their destination.
Motorists should expect to encounter the heaviest travel volume on Thursday and Friday afternoons, according to the traffic monitoring website INRIX.
Drivers in major metropolitan areas could experience double the travel times compared to a normal trip, Twidale said.
Orange barrels and blue lights
The state Department of Transportation plans to reduce the size of work zones and remove as many lane closures as possible for the weekend but remind motorists to pay extra attention while driving through work zones.
Drivers can see real-time traffic conditions, more than 1,000 live traffic cameras, and construction project locations at the ODOT website.
Over the course of the weekend, Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers will be highly visible, encouraging drivers to wear safety belts and to drive sober as part of the Click it or Ticket campaign and the 6-State Trooper Project.
Fifteen people were killed in fatal crashes over the holiday weekend last year and, of those fatalities where a seat belt was available, four were unused.
During last year’s holiday weekend, five of the fatalities involved impairment.
Air travel taking off
Air travel continues to rebound, up 19.5% in Ohio compared to last year, with the Columbus Regional Airport Authority forecasting its busiest summer travel season since 2019, president and CEO Joseph Nardone said.
An average of 14,300 passengers will depart daily from John Glenn International Airport and the Rickenbacker Passenger Terminal between June and August, Nardone said.
Air travel has steadily risen since the start of the pandemic and will account for a larger share of the overall travel volume this Memorial Day weekend, Nardone and Twidale said.
After a record-breaking year in 2019 with 8.9 million passengers traveling through the two airports, 2020 saw 3.5 million and 6.1 million in 2021.
Masks are optional in US airports and on aircraft but passengers are advised to check with their airline and destination for other rules.
Thursday is shaping up to be the busiest day at airports over the weekend. Passengers are encouraged to arrive at the airport at least 90 minutes prior to departure for domestic flights.