Generally pleasant weather and even more favorable gas prices are greeting Arkansans who are among the record number of Americans expected to take to the road or air during the final travel holiday of 2014.
RELATED ARTICLE
http://www.arkansas…">Emirates, Saudi vow to keep on
AAA, the motor and leisure travel organization, projects 98.6 million Americans will journey 50 miles or more from home during the year-end holiday season, an increase of 4 percent from the 94.8 million people who traveled at this time a year ago.
The increase marks the highest forecast growth rate for the year-end holiday season since 2009 and the highest travel volume for the holiday period since AAA began keeping such records in 2001. AAA defines the year-end holiday period as today through Jan. 4.
"While the economy continues to improve at an uneven pace, it seems more Americans are looking forward with increasing consumer confidence, rather than looking back at the recession," said Marshall L. Doney, president and chief operating officer for AAA.
While some rain is forecast across Arkansas and possibly a mix of precipitation that includes snow in the northern counties early Wednesday, temperatures will generally be mild -- with highs in the 50s and lows in the 30s -- over the next 10 days, which cover Christmas Day and New Year's Day, according to the National Weather Service.
No "widespread travel problems" are anticipated because of the weather, said Joe Goudsward, a senior forecaster with the agency's North Little Rock office.
Meanwhile, gas prices continue to fall at a record pace, according to AAA. The decline in gas prices reached 88 days in a row Monday, the longest consecutive streak AAA has tracked.
The price of gasoline has fallen every day since Sept. 25. Monday's national average price for a gallon of regular gasoline was $2.39, the lowest average price since May 2009.
The decline has accelerated over the previous week, the organization said. A 15-cent drop in the week-over-week price is the largest such decline in six years. Motorists now are paying 85 cents a gallon less than they did a year ago to refill their vehicle fuel tanks.
"Lower prices are increasing disposable income and enabling families to set aside money for travel this year," Doney said.
Arkansans are paying an average price of $2.25 a gallon, according to AAA, down from $3.07 a year ago. The lowest average daily price for a gallon of regular gasoline in Arkansas is $2.01 in Northwest Arkansas. The highest, at $2.41, in southeast Arkansas. Motorists can fill up for an average price of $2.36 in central Arkansas.
Most travelers, or 89.5 million, will be traveling the nation's roadways, the AAA survey found.
In Arkansas, that means contending with some construction. Six separate construction projects on major routes will result in lane closures totaling 28 miles in one or both directions, according to the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department.
The agency's website, iDriveArkansas.com, showed no delays on those routes throughout Monday.
Arkansans on the road will also encounter a beefed up police presence, according to the Arkansas State Police. It is part of the "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over" campaign, which is a public safety campaign involving state, county and city law enforcement officers across the United States. It began Dec. 12 and is expected to run through Jan. 1.
"The holiday season should be a time of joy, not a time of tragedy and loss," said Col. Stan Witt, the state police director. "That's why Arkansas motorists can expect to see an increase in saturation patrols and sobriety checkpoints, anytime, anywhere."
AAA forecasts aviation travel to grow 1 percent from this period in 2013, with 5.7 million people traveling by air.
At the state's largest airport, travel during the holiday period is expected to fall 1.4 percent, with 45,767 people projected to depart Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport/Adams Field between last Friday and Jan. 2, according to the U.S. Transportation Security Administration estimates.
However, the airport's holiday projection decline is smaller than the overall 5 percent decline in passenger traffic the airport has experienced much of the year.
Metro on 12/23/2014