By URIAH KISER
Falling gas prices mean more will travel this Memorial Day Weekend. But annual incomes may determine how far families go.
The number of travelers from the Washington area is expected to increase two percent over last year to 875,000 – the majority of them traveling by car, according to AAA Mid-Atlantic.
Many travelers from the Washington area have median household incomes of $100,000 or more, and will travel farther. But travel among families in the $50 to $100,000 income bracket is expected to slip this year, though recent falling gas prices may prompt many to reconsider their plans for the holiday, according to AAA Mid-Atlantic’s forecast.
The number of air travelers is expected is also expected to slip this year by 5.6 percent, according to the forecast.
Gas prices
The price of automobile fuel has fallen in recent weeks just in time for holiday weekend travel. According to gasbuddy.com, the average price for gas in Stafford is $3.65 a gallon, and $3.61 a gallon in Woodbridge.
At the beach, gas in Ocean City, Md. averages $3.54 per gallon, according to gasbuddy.com, and $3.55 per gallon in Virginia Beach, according to AAA Fuel Price Finder. At Kitty Hawk on North Carolina’s Outer Banks, the average price for a gallon of gas is $3.61, according to AAA.
Gas prices peaked nationally at $3.94 per gallon at Easter, and in some places rose to $4 per gallon, has fallen by at least 25 cents per gallon in recent weeks.
Police
If you’re on the road this weekend, you should know they’ll be more police officers on the highways checking to make sure you’re wearing your seatbelt. Virginia State Police will post additional troopers on highways Friday through Monday as part of the “Click it or Ticket” campaign. Last year, troopers in Virginia issued more than 1,600 summonses for adults who failed to wear seatbelts, and nearly 500 citations for improper uses of child restraint systems, said Virginia State Police spokeswoman Corinne Geller.
Roads
Most bound for the Maryland’s Eastern Shore will use U.S. 50 and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge to get there. Maryland transportation officials said the best times to cross the bridge are Thursday and Friday before 10 a.m., Saturday before 7 a.m., after 5 p.m. Sunday, and before 10 a.m. and after 10 p.m. Monday.
Those headed to Virginia Beach or North Carolina will see new signs that are posted along the trip that show drivers the estimated times, and best routes to take, to reach the Virginia Beach oceanfront or the Outer Banks as part of the “Reach the Beach” program.
The signs come as Virginia revamped its 511 real-time traffic website, which offers information on road conditions and live video from traffic cameras posted along highways across the state.
All roadwork in the state will be suspended from noon Friday until Tuesday to better accommodate travelers.
In the Potomac Communities, Interstate 95 usually jams early with many drivers headed south. This can cause bailout routes like U.S. 1 through Prince William and Stafford counties to become slow.
Local road conditions
HOV restrictions on Interstate 66 and Interstate 95/395 will be lifted on Monday, May 28. The I-95/395 reversible HOV lanes will run south from 1 p.m., Friday until 2 p.m. Saturday, and northbound from 4 p.m. Saturday through the rest of the holiday weekend.
There will be a closure for the Rolling Thunder motorcycle rally, as the I-95/395 HOV lanes will close to regular traffic from 7:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Sunday. The Virginia Department of Transportation has developed a website dedicated to Northern Virginia road information.
