Nearly 35 million expected to travel by car over holiday weekend

Those who thought the roads were crowded during Memorial Day weekend might want to celebrate Independence Day weekend at home.

AAA Travel is projecting 41 million Americans will journey 50 miles or more from home this weekend, a 14 percent increase compared to the Memorial Day holiday. It's also a slight increase from the number of travelers from last year's Fourth of July weekend.

Nearly 35 million people plan to travel by automobile, the highest level since 2007, AAA reported. Holiday air travel numbers are expected to reach 1.3 million, a small bump from last year.

To accommodate the large number of motorists traveling this weekend, the Missouri Department of Transportation is suspending most highway construction and maintenance work throughout the state. The work will stop at noon today and resume Monday after the morning rush. Some of the more permanent lane and bridge closures will remain in place, according to MoDOT.

The agency is encouraging motorists to plan trips in advance to avoid speeding and to pay attention to their surroundings. Last year, 19 people in Missouri were killed and 83 were seriously injured in traffic crashes during the Independence Day weekend. Thirteen of those fatalities involved a substance-impaired driver.

In Jackson, police officers will be targeting drunk drivers during the holiday weekend as part of a nationwide crackdown.

While millions may be looking forward to a road trip this weekend, they're probably less enthused about the cost of filling up the tank. AAA expects the majority of U.S. drivers likely will pay the highest gas prices for the Fourth of July since 2008. The current national average price of gas is about 20 cents per gallon more than it was July 4, 2013, when it was $3.48 a gallon.

AAA pointed to higher crude oil costs and intensified fighting in Iraq as the reason behind the rising rate.

But Missouri travelers will fare better than many at the pump. As of Wednesday, AAA estimated the state average was $3.48 per gallon. Neighboring Illinois was considerably higher at $3.82 per gallon.

The lowest fuel price in Cape Girardeau and Jackson was $3.34, according to GasBuddy.com.

Ashley Walker gassed up her car Wednesday afternoon to prepare for a trip to visit family today. She plans to spend the holiday weekend shooting fireworks and swimming with her family in St. Louis.

"I know there's going to be a lot of traffic this weekend, so I'm planning to leave kind of early Thursday," she said. "Hopefully I'll miss the worst of it."

Sheila Owens said she plans to celebrate the Fourth of July at home this year. She's battled the traffic in previous years and said she's happy not to deal with it this holiday weekend.

"It's nice to just stay home and relax sometimes and there's really plenty to do in this area," she said.

srinehart@semissourian.com

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Cape Girardeau, Mo.

Jackson, Mo.