More Marylanders projected to travel for Labor Day weekend, AAA reports
BBJ FILE
The Chesapeake Bay Bridge will be a major source of traffic during the Labor Day holiday weekend.
Nearly 728,000 Marylanders are expected to travel 50 miles or more over the Labor Day weekend, AAA Mid-Atlantic says, the highest figure projected for the holiday since 2008.
The auto group projects the total will increase by 1.2 percent compared with last Labor Day weekend. The forecast reflects the third-highest travel volume on record, besting the estimated 855,000 Marylanders who traveled in 2008 and the 769,000 in 2003.
“Marylanders’ enthusiasm for travel appears to continue to remain undeterred by a sluggish economy and stagnant income growth, as evident by the strong volume of residents forecasted to get away for yet another summer holiday weekend,” AAA Mid-Atlantic spokeswoman Ragina Cooper-Averella[5] said in a statement. “The very early date for Labor Day this year could certainly be playing a role for the high travel volume as well.”
Overall, AAA expects the bulk of Marylanders traveling for the holiday to do so by car. Some 635,100, or 87 percent of travelers, are projected to hit the road, up 1.2 percent from last year.
The cost for a gallon of gas in Maryland on Monday averaged $3.40 — 17 cents less than a month ago and 15 cents less compared with the same time last year.
Roughly 8 percent of travelers, or 53,400, are expected to do so by airplane. That's flat from last year.
Nationally, 35 million Americans will hit the road for the Labor Day weekend, up 1.2 percent from 2013.
References
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