Fuel costs up this year
Drivers headed to grandma’s house this Thanksgiving will pay more at the pump.
In fact, they’ll pay the most for a gallon of gas in the past three years. The average price for a gallon of gas in Virginia this holiday is $2.32 and $2.56 nationally, according to AAA Mid-Atlantic. Last year, drivers paid $1.98 a gallon, and $2.13 a gallon, respectively.
In addition to paying more for fuel, more people also plan to travel this Thanksgiving. The automobile club says 1.2 million Virginians plan to hit the highway, up 3.2 percent over last year. And 4.5 percent more Virginia travelers plan to fly this year versus last year, with 103,217 taking to the friendly skies.
To help drivers, the Virginia Department of Transportation will lift all work zones on state highways starting at noon on Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2017. The state agency also has an interactive travel trends map that shows peak congestion periods for highways.
If you’re traveling on Interstate 95, expect the worst southbound congestion between 1 and 4 p.m. Wednesday. On Saturday, I-95 drivers should expect to pack their patience pretty much all day — between 11 a.m. at 5 p.m — when the north and southbound lanes between Spotsylvania County and Fairfax County are expected to be heavy.
Sunday will also be a congested time to be on the roads. Route 29 through Central Virginia, including Charlottesville, is a preferred alternative, VDOT states.
The holiday getaway will begin this afternoon, and this morning, the operators of the I-95 E-ZPass Express Lanes chimed in:
95 Express Lanes head south beginning around 1pm today, heaviest travel expected 3-7pm. On average, last Thanksgiving period customers saved 27 minutes in travel time by choosing the Express Lanes, with some drivers saving more than one hour. Don’t forget your E-ZPass!
— VA Express Lanes (@VAExpressLanes) November 21, 2017
The warnings come as the number of fatal traffic crashes is up this year in Virginia. A total of 46 people, to include nine pedestrians, have been killed in crashes on state roads in just the past two weeks. There have been 710 deaths on state roads this year, compared to 640 during the same time period last year.
“Tragically, traffic fatalities are on the rise in Virginia,” stated Colonel W. Steven Flaherty, Virginia State Police Superintendent in a press release. “We’ve seen an 11 percent increase over this time last year. With so many people estimated to travel over the Thanksgiving weekend, we need everyone to help prevent crashes by driving smart, buckling up and never driving drunk or drugged. We want everyone to arrive alive and enjoy the holiday.”
During last year’s Thanksgiving weekend, Virginia State Police troopers:
· Cited 9,235 speeders
· Cited 2,928 reckless drivers
· Arrested 132 drunken drivers
· Cited 824 safety belt violations & 286 child restraint violations
· Investigated 1,163 traffic crashes, in which eight were fatal
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