Traffic congestion and gas prices for the holiday

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

With AAA’s projected 54.3 million Americans journeying 50 miles or more away from home this Thanksgiving, a 4.8 percent increase over last year, the 2018 holiday weekend will see the highest Thanksgiving travel volume since 2005.

There will be 2.5 million more people taking to the nation’s roads, skies, rails and waterways compared with last year.

The Thanksgiving holiday period is defined as today to Sunday.

For the 48.5 million Americans planning a Thanksgiving road trip, INRIX, a global mobility analytics company, predicts travel times in the most congested cities in the U.S. could see much heavier than normal congestion.

Jamel Dixon of Youngs-town said he was preparing to leave early today to avoid traffic.

“I’m just gassing up now and leaving first thing tomorrow,” he said.

But as of Tuesday, the traffic seemed light to Ken Connors of Philadelphia.

“I’ve had a great drive all the way through Pennsylvania,” he said.

Connors wasn’t traveling for the holidays but for his son’s hockey game.

Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddys, said gas prices for the holiday will continue their current trend downward.

“Don’t be in a rush to go out and fill up,” he said.

Currently, the statewide average is $2.38 per gallon.

DeHaan said to expect a penny or two decline each day through Thanksgiving, resulting in a 3 to 5 cent decrease.

His advice to drivers is to shop around for the best gas prices.

“Some regions are passing along decreases slower than others,” he said. “Don’t get stuck overpaying on gas. You could end up saving $10 to $15 on gas by simply shopping around.”