Holiday travelers hitting the road

Police, park officials say they’re ready for Memorial Day

Ben Work, 9, carries American flags while working with his father, Little Rock Air Force Base Capt. Daniel Work, and a group of volunteers placing more than 6,000 flags in front of headstones Wednesday at the Arkansas State Veterans Cemetery in North Little Rock in preparation for Memorial Day. The Arkansas Department of Veterans Affairs will hold its annual Memorial Day ceremony at 10 a.m. Monday at the cemetery.
Ben Work, 9, carries American flags while working with his father, Little Rock Air Force Base Capt. Daniel Work, and a group of volunteers placing more than 6,000 flags in front of headstones Wednesday at the Arkansas State Veterans Cemetery in North Little Rock in preparation for Memorial Day. The Arkansas Department of Veterans Affairs will hold its annual Memorial Day ceremony at 10 a.m. Monday at the cemetery.

Low gas prices and good economic conditions are expected to spur the largest number of Americans in more than a decade to travel during Memorial Day weekend, a AAA official said.

About 38 million people are expected to travel, a 2 percent increase from last year, said Michael Right, a AAA vice president of public affairs.

"We've seen a precipitous decrease in crude oil prices in the last couple of years," Right said.

Crude oil costs about $49 per barrel, down from the $100 each barrel used to cost.

The average price for regular gas in Arkansas is $2.09, 21 cents less than the national average. This year's average is down 15 percent from last year's average of $2.46, according to data from AAA.

Ninety percent of those who travel will do so by motor vehicle, Right said.

The increased traffic volume comes with an increased risk for accidents and more police patrols, said Bill Sadler, Arkansas State Police spokesman.

"Memorial Day is considered one of the more traveled days," Sadler said. "It is the open door to summer."

In 2014, there were 396 accidents and three fatalities over Memorial Day weekend. In 2013, there were 335 accidents and five fatalities, according to data from the Arkansas State Police.

State police will keep an eye on holiday traffic by increasing patrols and offering overtime to officers to beef up the force, Sadler said.

Police throughout the state will be looking for motorists who aren't wearing seat belts. Memorial Day falls in the middle of the Click It or Ticket campaign, which began May 16 and emphasizes the importance of wearing seat belts, according to an Arkansas State Police news release.

There will be six major sections of roads with 24-hour closures on at least one lane during the weekend, according to an Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department press release.

One eastbound lane of Interstate 30 in Miller County will be closed for five miles. I-30 will also have one lane closed in both directions for four miles in Hempstead County. In Mississippi County, one northbound lane of Interstate 55 will be closed. One lane in each direction on Interstate 440 will be closed for four miles in Little Rock.

Also, U.S. 59 will have one lane closed in each direction for one mile in Crawford County.

The largest stretch of closed road will be on Interstate 530 near White Hall in Jefferson County. One lane in each direction will be closed for seven miles, according to the press release.

Motorists can visit the Alternative Routes feature on IDriveArkansas.com to find ways around accidents and work-zone traffic jams on interstates.

Air will be the second most popular means of travel over the holiday, with about 2.6 million people expected to fly, Right said.

Airport officials recommend that those who choose to fly arrive at the airport at least 90 minutes before their domestic flights are supposed to take off, and two hours before international flights. Mornings are busiest for the airport, said Shane Carter, director of public affairs for the Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport/Adams Field in Little Rock.

In anticipation of summer travel, the Transportation Security Administration at the Little Rock airport has added 12 employees to help with screening to shorten wait times at security checkpoints, Carter said.

During the summer, there will also be more flights available at the Little Rock airport. Delta Air Lines has added one flight, American Airlines has added three and Allegiant Air has included flights to Los Angeles, Carter said.

Arkansas' 52 state parks will be packed for the Memorial Day weekend, said Meg Matthews, public information coordinator for the state park system.

"We know we're going to have a lot of visitors," Matthews said.

The temporary staff hired for the summer has been trained and is ready to start work, he said. There will be 365 programs, on topics such as history and nature, available for families over the weekend; most of them are free, Matthews said.

The more popular parks are Petit Jean, Lake Ouachita and Pinnacle Mountain, Matthews said.

The Buffalo River is another popular tourist destination in Arkansas, said Caven Clark, a spokesperson for the Buffalo National River.

Campground reservations will be "full to the brim," Clark said.

The busy season for the river fluctuates with water levels and began March 15. There will be lots of people on the river throughout the summer, Clark said.

Clark said that although the levels were high after Wednesday's rain, he is hopeful that the river will be good for canoeing and kayaking over the weekend.

"If you're visiting this river, or any river, and it's like chocolate milk or a latte, I would be cautious because you can't see debris underwater," Clark said.

Free life jackets in children's sizes are available to borrow at the Tyler Bend Visitor Center, he said.

The Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art is anticipating an influx of visitors this weekend as well, said Beth Bobbitt, the museum's media relations manager.

Officials generally expect about 60 percent of visitors to be Arkansans, Bobbitt said.

Memorial Day is the last chance for visitors to see the museum's The Open Road exhibit, which went up Feb. 27. The Open Road is a photography exhibit featuring the work of 19 photographers who traveled across the United States, according to the Crystal Bridges website.

"It's really a great sort of nostalgic look at the road trip," Bobbitt said.

Metro on 05/26/2016

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