295,000 Utahns likely to travel for Thanksgiving

With gas prices dramatically lower than last month, Utahns are expected to clog the highways as they travel this week for Thanksgiving.

AAA Utah projects more than 295,000 Utahns will travel 50 miles or more this holiday. More than 240,000 plan to travel by car, taking advantage of gas prices that have fallen an average of 56 cents in the past month.

Still, travel costs — gas, hotel, car rental — are higher than they were last year. Monday, the average price of gas in Utah was $2.19. Last year, it was $2.

"Decreased gas prices and discounted airfare are certainly major factors encouraging people to travel this holiday period," AAA Utah spokeswoman Rolayne Fairclough said in a statement. "But Thanksgiving is a time when people want to be with family and friends, and because of this desire, they will find ways to absorb higher travel prices."

Nationwide, about 37.29 million will travel this holiday weekend, according to AAA. More than 30.8 million will travel by car; 4.64 million by airplane.

In Utah, more than 41,000 plan to travel by air this Thanksgiving.

The Utah Highway Patrol and Utah Department of Transportation are encouraging motorists to leave plenty of time to get to their travel destinations. UHP trooper Jeff Nigbur said fatigued driving and speeding are two factors that can contribute to fatalities on the road.

"One of the things we worry about Thanksgiving, as far as this being the biggest driving holiday of the year, is fatigued driving," he said. "If you're taking a long trip, break it up and get some sleep. A lot of fatalities occur from people falling asleep at the wheel."

More drivers will be on the road on Thanksgiving Day versus any other day, according to AAA. Wednesday and Sunday will be the busiest days for those planning to fly.

People headed to St. George for the weekend should prepare for delays along I-15. While no lanes are restricted, road construction between Cedar City and Beaver has caused hourlong delays on past holiday weekends, according to UDOT spokesman Nile Easton.

"We think it will be heavy again over this weekend," he said. "We'd ask people to please consider leaving earlier or coming home later."

Construction will also be happening in Provo Canyon and on I-15 in Utah County, where UDOT is expanding the freeway to add a carpool lane. But delays are not anticipated in those areas.

On Thanksgiving Day, bus and TRAX service will not be available in the Salt Lake Valley. Regular service will resume on Friday. "People should plan around it and make sure if they have any questions about service to give us a call," said UTA spokesman Justin Jones.

To contact UTA with questions about bus and TRAX service, call: 1-888-rideuta (743-3882). For information about road conditions and travel times, log on to: www.commuterlink.utah.gov.

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E-mail: nwarburton@desnews.com