Busier travel expected ahead of Memorial Day weekend
Turnpike travelers urged to watch for motorcade
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Travelers heading west Sunday afternoon on the Pennsylvania Turnpike are urged to be on the lookout for the Run for the Wall 300-vehicle motorcade. The veterans' organization will be hosting the ride to the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C., and part of the trip will be on the turnpike.
The motorcycle motorcade will stop at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Somerset County, then travel west from the Somerset Interchange, exit 110, starting about 3:10 p.m. The motorcade is planning a fueling stop at the New Stanton Service Plaza, milepost 77, prior to exiting at the New Stanton Interchange, milepost 75, and continuing onto Route 70 west. Traffic could be slower in the area from 3 to 5 p.m., the turnpike commission said in a news release.
The motorcade comes amid a busy travel holiday, as AAA projects 42.3 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home this Memorial Day weekend -- today through Monday -- a 7% increase from 2022.
The unofficial start of summer will see 2.7 million more people traveling as compared to last year, AAA reported.
"The world has reopened and there is a lot of pent-up demand for travel," said Bevi Powell, senior vice president of AAA East Central. "From unique destinations like Egypt to the always popular beach trips and cruises, more Americans are planning those special vacations this summer with family and friends."
Nearly 3.4 million travelers are expected to fly to their destinations, an increase of 11% from last year. Air travel over the holiday weekend is projected to exceed pre-pandemic levels, with 170,000 more passengers -- or 5.4% more -- than in 2019. Despite high ticket prices, demand for flights is skyrocketing and this weekend could be the busiest at airports since 2005.
Not everyone will be flying, as slightly lower gas prices this holiday weekend, as compared to last year, will mean plenty of people are taking road trips.
Today's national average -- $3.54 per gallon for regular unleaded -- is 13 cents less than a month ago and $1.05 less than a year ago. On Wednesday, most Altoona-area gasoline locations were selling regular unleaded fuel for $3.69 a gallon.
While prices at the pump have fallen, car travel this holiday will be shy of pre-pandemic numbers by about 500,000 travelers, AAA said, noting that the trends show more people taking other modes of transportation, such as buses and trains. These travelers are expected to total 1.85 million, an increase of 20.6% from 2022.
For those traveling, Friday is expected to be the busiest day on the roads, with the best times to travel by car expected to be in the morning or evening after 6 p.m. The lightest traffic days will be Saturday and Sunday.
Meanwhile, the Pennsylvania Turnpike projects more than 2.1 million motorists will head to their holiday destination via the turnpike. This year's projections reflect a 3.8% increase from 2022 traffic and just under the pre-pandemic holiday numbers.
"The Memorial Day Holiday informally kicks off the summer travel season and we anticipate increased traffic -- up from last year's traffic volumes during the same period," said Mark Compton, turnpike CEO.
The turnpike will have increased patrols, as will other roads throughout the state and country.
"Obeying the posted speed limits, allowing sufficient distance between other vehicles and a general respect for other motorists will ensure everyone reaches their destination safely," said Cpl. Joe May of Pennsylvania State Police's Troop T.