A record high number of Tennesseans are expected to travel during this year’s Memorial Day weekend, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA).
AAA forecasts that more than 926,000 residents of the Volunteer State will travel 50 miles or more during the holiday weekend, which is approximately 14,800 more holiday travelers than the previous high set in 2005.
Out of the 926,000 total Tennesseans expected to travel during the upcoming holiday weekend, 783,990 are forecasted to travel by automobile, 107,315 are forecasted to fly, and 34,946 are forecasted to travel by other means of transportation.
Nationally, AAA projects that this year will be the second highest traveled Memorial Day on record as nearly 43.8 million Americans will journey 50 miles or more during the holiday travel period.
The highest number of travelers during a Memorial Day weekend was set in 2005 as a total of 44 million Americans traveled for the holiday.
“Memorial Day will be the start to a very busy summer of travel,” said Debbie Haas, Vice President of Travel for AAA – The Auto Club Group. “American travelers are forecast to surpass pre-pandemic levels, making this the busiest Memorial Day holiday weekend in nearly two decades. The main driver of the projection is strong consumer interest in traveling both domestically and abroad. Interest in traveling internationally is at the highest level in recent years.”
When it comes to the price of fuel this Memorial Day weekend, 2024 prices are similar to last year’s in Tennessee, AAA notes.
During last year’s holiday weekend, Tennessee gas prices averaged $3.19 per gallon. As of Monday, the state average for a gallon of unleaded gasoline was $3.16.
Meanwhile, the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) announced Monday that it will suspend all construction-related lane closures on interstates and state routes to “provide maximum roadway capacity for motorists expected to travel in the state this Memorial Day weekend.”
All construction-related lane closures in the state will be stopped from noon on Friday through 6 a.m. next Tuesday, according to TDOT.
“We want to do our part to help everyone have an enjoyable and safe holiday weekend and keep traffic flowing as smoothly and efficiently as possible,” Deputy Governor & TDOT Commissioner Butch Eley said in a statement. “We also want to remind drivers it is the law to move over and slow down for first responders and emergency vehicles, including TDOT HELP trucks that will be on patrol during the holiday weekend.”
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Photo “Honor Guard” by JCDCreative.
