Gas Prices, Number Of Travelers Expected To Increase This Weekend

Traffic near the intersection of Cedar Lane and Rockville Pike, Flickr photo by thisisbossiFor the first time since 2001, more than one million Washington area residents are expected to head out of town for the July 4 holiday — according to a forecast from AAA Mid-Atlantic.

This will happen as gas prices reach an Independence Day price point not seen since the summer of 2008. Today’s national average gas price is about $3.68 per gallon, 20 cents more than the average on July 4, 2013.

Still, AAA Mid-Atlantic projects 1,002,200 people in the Washington metro area will travel 50 miles or more from home this weekend, a 2 percent increase from the roughly 983,000 people who got out of town last year.

Most of those travelers will travel by car (86.7 percent, according to AAA Mid-Atlantic.)

Why the uptick?

“Last year, political gridlock in Washington, D.C. had area residents second guessing themselves on whether to take a summer trip for the Independence Day holiday, but this year is a different story,” AAA Mid-Atlantic’s John Townsend said.

That national July 4 holiday travel projection is also about 2 percent more than last year.

For those sticking around Bethesda and Chevy Chase, check out various celebrations and fireworks displays scheduled for nearby.

Flickr photo by thisisbossi

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