Gas prices have dropped 11 consecutive weeks, but fuel costs are still the highest ever for the Labor Day holiday coming this weekend.
Even with those high gas prices, AAA predicted in a news release that travel should be “robust” for the three-day holiday weekend. One factor in the expected increase in Labor Day traffic is U.S. air travel, which is mired in cancellations and expected to push travelers to hit the road.
“As the summer travel season draws to an end with the upcoming Labor Day holiday weekend, the roads could be busy as AAA anticipates travel volume could reach pre-pandemic levels, mirroring the trends seen for the holidays in May and July,” AAA Mid-Atlantic spokesman Morgan Dean said in the release.
The national price of gas on Tuesday stood at $3.84, according to AAA. The average price in Virginia was $3.63. The Fredericksburg-area gas price was about $3.48, down 28 cents from one month ago. A year ago, the average cost for gas locally was about $2.98.
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The Virginia Department of Transportation will suspend many work zones and lift most lane closures on interstates and primary roads for the holiday weekend, from noon Friday through noon Tuesday, Sept. 6.
AAA predicts the heaviest travel times to happen Friday and Monday afternoon.
VDOT also has its travel trends online map, which predicts the heaviest traffic to happen from noon to 7 p.m. Friday.
