Gas, lodging and construction zone fines more costly as record travel expected for holiday
After the pandemic canceled most July Fourth trips in 2020, people are eager to get back on the road for the holiday this year, but they’ll encounter a record number of fellow travelers, higher gas prices, more expensive vacation stays and costlier Alabama fines in construction zones.
A record-breaking 43.6 million Americans will be traveling distances of 50 miles or more this holiday weekend — today through Monday — according to AAA. That’s 5% more travelers than the previous high for this holiday in 2019, according to AAA.
“There’s a lot of pent-up demand to get out and go somewhere because most people did not get to do that in 2020, and so for a lot of people, it’s been two years since they’ve gone anywhere,” said Clay Ingram, AAA-Alabama spokesperson.
Many travelers are counting on the vaccine to make trips safer, Ingram said, but lingering concerns about COVID-19 could make open-air destinations like Gulf Shores especially popular this year. He said travelers need to be prepared to face increased traffic this weekend as people flock to Alabama’s beaches.
“We get a lot of drive-through traffic here with people going to the Gulf Coast from all parts of the country in addition to the Alabamians that want to go,” he said.
AAA is prepared for an influx in calls this weekend, but response time may be slower than usual.
“We will have all hands on deck from a road service perspective, because any time you have a lot more cars on the road, you have a lot more emergency road service calls,” Ingram said.
July Fourth travel plans will be more costly.
The average price for a gallon of unleaded gas in Alabama is $2.81, and is expected to increase by as much as much as 5 cents before the weekend begins. The average gas price nationally is $3.09 per gallon, an increase of 92 cents over this time last year and the highest for this holiday period since 2014, according to AAA.
Kay Maghan with Gulf Shores Tourism said rates for hotels and vacation rentals have increased sharply this summer, especially this weekend. She said that places are sold out and those that aren’t can cost anywhere from $465 per night to $700 a night. In 2019, the average nightly cost of a hotel in July was $212, with vacation rentals going for $377.
The Alabama Department of Transportation said that effective today the fine for any moving traffic violation committed in a construction zone where workers are present will be $250 or double the regular fine, whichever amount is greater. Previously, only speeding in a construction zone would result in such an increased fine.
ALDOT also said it plans no lane closures after noon on Friday through Monday at 11:59 p.m. to ensure the safety of construction workers, maintenance crews and the traveling public.
“As underscored by the recent change to our highway laws, unsafe driving in work zones can be life-altering and sometimes life-ending,” Allison Green, Drive Safe Alabama coordinator with ALDOT, said in a news release. “It’s to everyone’s advantage to slow down and follow the rules of the road when driving through a work zone.”
The construction zone laws were amended this year due to increased fatalities among construction workers last year.
“The law calls them workers, some may call them employees, but it’s more important we recognize they are moms, dads, brothers, sisters, sons and daughters that need to be able to go home to their families,” Jeff Webb of Ozark Striping Co., current president of the Alabama Road Builders Association, said in a statement. “We believe this law will help bring change to drivers’ unsafe driving habits.”
