Fourth of July travel will be booming; get ready for crowded roads

Adrienne Oglesby and Channing King

9 mins ago

DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — If you’re among the approximately 25 percent of Americans heading out of town for the Fourth of July holiday, be prepared.

Whether it’s a flight, a train, a car or a cruise ship, holiday travel is back.

“Recovery in travel appears to have finally taken place, but it’s taken us almost four years to get there,” said Andrew Gross with AAA.

With the vast majority of the 3.3 million Ohioans who will spend the holiday away from home traveling by car, you can expect crowded roads and interstates.

“I know I sound like every dad in America right now, but it’s like, get moving,” said Andrew Gross with AAA. “Get going, get on the road as early as possible because you’re going to have a lot of company.”

Bill Purpura with AAA said they are projecting Wednesday, July 3, to be very heavy from the afternoon to the mid-evening. But just as what goes up must come down, what goes out of town must (usually) come back.

Because of that, AAA is urging people to watch out on Sunday, July 7, for all the returning traffic.

If you’re driving, you can expect to pay more at the pump.

It’s all relative, though: While gas prices in Ohio have now surpassed the national average, they may still be cheaper than what you’ll find at some of your destinations. You’ll likely find higher prices in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Indiana and Illinois, where the average price is $3.85 a gallon.

You’ll find cheaper gas in West Virginia and Kentucky, where the average is $3.32.

Many drivers are upset that gas prices continue to climb.

“It makes me feel broke because they continue to go up,” said Dayton resident Pamela Cole.