4 tips to travel like a pro this Fourth of July
A record 1.6 million Carolinians are expected to drive 50 miles or more over the Fourth of July weekend – the highest number since AAA Carolinas began its surveys in 2001.
Travel is up across the state, AAA said, because people have more money in their pockets thanks to improved labor market conditions. And drivers across the country are expected to pay the lowest Independence Day gas prices in at least five years. In Charlotte, drivers are saving more than 92 cents a gallon compared with this time last year.
Few road delays are expected, because the N.C. Department of Transportation will postpone work on interstates and North Carolina and U.S. routes from 4 p.m. Thursday until 9 a.m. Monday.
The only question is the weather, with mostly cloudy skies forecast for the weekend and a 40 percent chance of showers on the holiday. Katherine Peralta and Joe Marusak
By plane
While most North Carolinians will drive to their destinations, about 91,700 will fly, an increase of 1.5 percent over last year, according to AAA. An estimated 54,300 South Carolinians will travel by air, also up 1.5 percent. Average airfares for the top 40 domestic flight routes are 6 percent higher this Independence Day, climbing to $227.
Because of new traffic patterns, allow extra time to drive to and from the terminal at Charlotte Douglas International Airport. The hourly deck is free for the first hour and $1 each additional half-hour. As a customer appreciation summer special, the airport is charging up to a maximum $14 a day to park in the hourly lot through Sept. 8, compared with a maximum $20 normally.
By automobile
About 1.1 million North Carolinians and about 541,000 South Carolinians are expected to travel more than 50 miles from home, with the top driving destinations Orlando, Fla., New Bern, Williamsburg, Va., Branson, Mo., and Fort Bragg, according to AAA. Road work on major routes in the Carolinas has been postponed for the weekend.
Filling up
The average price for a gallon of gas in North Carolina is $2.65, while South Carolina’s average is $2.44, according to AAA. Asheville has North Carolina’s highest average price at $2.71, while the cheapest in the state is in High Point at $2.53. Charleston has South Carolina’s highest average price at at $2.52, and the cheapest can be found in Spartanburg at $2.36.
Police patrols
Last year, North Carolina traffic deaths were cut in half during the Fourth of July holiday, from 18 in 2013 to nine in 2014. South Carolina saw 10 traffic deaths last Fourth of July, the most in five years. Troopers in both states will be out in force again this weekend on interstates, major four-lane highways and rural paved roads.
This story was originally published July 1, 2015 at 8:43 AM with the headline "4 tips to travel like a pro this Fourth of July."