Holiday travel expected to be down - The Star Democrat
STEVENSVILLE It appears fewer Marylanders will be traveling over the long Labor Day weekend and one of the reasons is that the holiday is later this year, says AAA Mid-Atlantic.
At the William Preston Lane Jr. Memorial (Bay) Bridge, officials are anticipating traffic levels for the four-day holiday period to be about where they were last Labor Day.
AAA Mid-Atlantic is projecting a 2.7 percent decline in overall travel by Marylanders using all modes of transportation and a decline of 0.4 percent in travel by car.
"Typically, the later the Labor Day holiday falls on the calendar, the less inclined families may be to travel as children will have already returned to school," said Ragina Averella, manager of public and government affairs at AAA Mid-Atlantic.
With many school systems opening a week or two ahead of the holiday, she said, travel volume will not be as heavy for this Labor Day as it was for Memorial Day and July 4, the summer's other big travel weekends.
"Thus, while the economy and high travel costs are key factors in the decline, the holiday falling on the fifth of September is a contributing factor," Averella said.
She added that it is possible there could be a last minute uptick in travel if the Labor Day weather is good, "especially since last weekend was a washout, literally, due to Hurricane Irene."
Ocean City officials re-opened the boardwalk and, according to the town's website, a full weekend of events is planned.
AAA Mid-Atlantic estimates 538,000 Marylanders will travel by car over the holiday period, representing about 89 percent of all state travelers.
The organization says while the cost of gasoline is about 37 percent higher than last Labor Day, prices have been generally declining since early August.
According to marylandgasprices.com, the average cost of a gallon of regular in Maryland is now $3.55. Prices in Easton on Wednesday ranged from $3.46 to $3.49. In Stevensville, the lowest price was $3.49; in Centreville it was $3.47; and the lowest price in the area was $3.43 in Salisbury, according to the website.
At the Bay Bridge, officials are expecting about 335,000 vehicles to cross the span in both directions between Friday and Monday. That's about the same as last Labor Day weekend, said Maryland Transportation Authority spokesman Teri Moss.
"It's hard to predict. We're not really sure how many people are going to be traveling," she said.
Bridge officials consider the holiday travel period to be from Friday morning through Monday evening although some people may get an early start late Thursday.
Moss urges motorists to consider traveling at off-peak periods to avoid heavy traffic:
After 7 p.m. Thursday.
Before noon or after 10 p.m. Friday.
Before 7 a.m. or between 5 and 10 p.m. Saturday.
Before 11 a.m. or after 10 p.m. Sunday.
Before 11 a.m. and after 10 p.m. Monday.
Travelers may check traffic conditions by calling 1-877-BAYSPAN or 511, the state's official travel information service. They can also log onto baybridge.com where cameras provide live traffic information.
No construction work is scheduled during peak travel periods of the holiday travel period but there is always the possibility some spot repairs or other situations could develop.
01 Sep, 2011--
Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNHhAHh3ib0dQJ9weec2S0QAz4c15A&url=http://www.stardem.com/a/article_243e6bf7-498d-50c4-b42e-03bfefa08154.html
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