Pleasant weather, low gas prices, and the kickoff of college and high school football should lead to a surge in traffic on Arkansas roadways this Labor Day weekend, officials say.
Many residents will head to the state's numerous lakes. Fourteen state campgrounds are already booked up,A̶r̶k̶a̶n̶s̶a̶s̶ ̶P̶a̶r̶k̶s̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶R̶e̶c̶r̶e̶a̶t̶i̶o̶n̶ ̶D̶e̶p̶a̶r̶t̶m̶e̶n̶t̶ Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism* public information coordinator Meg Matthews said. Day-use areas will be open to everyone, she said.
Heavier traffic is expected on roadways used to access popular lakes like Greers Ferry in north-central Arkansas, and Ouachita, Hamilton and De Gray lakes near Hot Springs.
Drivers traveling to and from Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport/Adams Field should be aware of lane closures in both directions along a 4-mile stretch of Interstate 440 near the exits to the airport. Between Texarkana and Hope on I-30 there are three lane closures stretching 12 miles.
The National Weather Service predicts dry weather and slightly below-average temperatures across the state Saturday and Sunday. Higher temperatures are expected to return at the beginning of the week.
Law enforcement agencies will set up sobriety checkpoints around the state, and more officers will be on duty over the holiday weekend, Arkansas State Police spokesman Bill Sadler said. He encouraged drivers to call 911 if they see any erratic driving.
Drunken driving is a problem. He said the No. 1 mistake that people who drink make is not arranging for a sober designated driver.
"It sounds so simple, but so often people say [when they're pulled over] I just never thought about doing it," Sadler said.
Drinking is also a concern on the state's lakes and rivers. Last year, state lawmakers passed legislation that makes the penalties for boating while intoxicated the same as for driving a car while intoxicated. A boat driver with a blood alcohol level higher than 0.08 percent now will have his driver's license suspended. License suspensions are six months for a first offense, 24 months for a second, 30 months for a third and 48 months for a fourth.
Sadler encouraged travelers to leave for their destinations early rather than later Monday as a way to avoid driver-fatigue crashes during peak travel hours.
"You're tired, cranky, the kids are playing in the car, that's just another distraction," Sadler said. "Plan an early return and be ready to return to work following the holiday."
On Thursday in a North Little Rock RV park, John Eason talked about his weekend travel plans as he stood beside his white Jeep Wrangler, which sported a Louisiana Tech license plate, and a bus-size Phaeton motor home.
Eason, 60, said he would be driving to Eureka Springs today with his wife, who graduated from the University of Arkansas, and would stay there through Tuesday to wait out the crowds.
They plan to travel to Fayetteville on Saturday for the Razorbacks football season opener against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs. They will be among many other football fans on the road to take in high school football games Friday night and the university season openers around the state Saturday.
"I'm sorry for your readers," Eason said, as he predicted a Tech victory Saturday. "Go Dogs."
The state's interstate highways can handle the increased holiday traffic without much difficulty, Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department spokesman Danny Straessle said.
On game days, however, highways near and streets in college towns such as Fayetteville, Jonesboro and Conway become congested.
Straessle pointed out to travelers that it is against state law to talk on cellphones in construction zones, even when highway workers are not present.
More information on highway construction that's underway in the state is available at the Arkansas Highway Department's website at IDriveArkansas.com.
Low gas prices and an improving economy are fueling an uptick in travel this year, according to AAA, the motor and leisure travel organization.
"After the recession, we saw a dip, then it started to ratchet up," said Mike Right, vice president of public affairs for AAA. "Now every month is setting a new record."
Gas prices have risen in the past two weeks after steadily dropping for two months. They are lower than at the same time a year ago.
The average price for a gallon of regular gasoline in Arkansas was $2.05 Thursday, compared with $2.17 at the same time in 2015. That is up from an average of $2.03 per gallon a week ago and $1.91 a month ago.
AAA no longer makes travel projections for Labor Day, but last year it projected that 30.4 million vehicles would be on the highways for the holiday nationwide.
In a national survey by AAA, 55 percent of Americans said they are more likely to take road trips this year because of the lower gas prices.
U.S. drivers have saved an estimated $20 billion on gasoline in the first six months of this year as compared with the same period in 2015, according to the AAA website.
Labor Day won't create unusually large crowds at the Little Rock airport, according to its spokesman Shane Carter.
The end-of-summer holiday doesn't produce the numbers that the state's largest airport sees at Thanksgiving and Christmas.
"I'm confident that this weekend will not be a busy holiday travel weekend" for the airport, Carter said.
But, he said, airport traffic might be up today, when some travelers leave for their holiday destinations, or on Tuesday, when they typically return from the extended weekend. But, it won't rank up there with the busiest holidays, he said.
Information for this article was provided by Noel Oman of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
A Section on 09/02/2016
*CORRECTION: This article about travel on Labor Day weekend misidentified the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism.