Published: July 01, 2009 11:42 pm      

Gas, economy affect travel

Todd Shaulis of the Summit Diner hopes with July 4th falling on Saturday and many people off work Friday, more travelers will be lured to the road.

“With the Thunder in the Valley we had very good business. We’re hoping to kick butt again this weekend,” Shaulis said from the diner on North Center Street in Somerset.

Travel on the Pennsylvania Turnpike was down by 5 percent earlier this year, but Carl DeFebo, spokesman for the toll road, thinks Shaulis’ wish may come true.

“Traffic has been starting to pick up this summer. We think it will be similar to what we see for a Memorial Day weekend,” DeFebo said. “We’re expecting pretty heavy volumes.”

Volume on the turnpike is expected to reach nearly 2 million vehicles between Friday and Monday.

Travel nationwide was down last year because of gas prices, which averaged more than $4 a gallon.

This year, a gallon of gasoline is averaging $2.65, though that number was below $2 during the winter.

AAA predicts a slight decline in travel due to the recession and gas prices.

Motorists driving 50 or more miles nationwide this weekend are expected to drop by 1.9 percent compared to last year, said Ted Leonard, Pennsylvania AAA Federation spokesman.

“There are two reasons: The uncertainty about the strength of the economy and the recent rapid increase in gasoline prices,” Leonard said Wednesday.

Signs of the weak economy are evident on the turnpike, where commercial traffic continues to sag, DeFebo said.

In January, overall traffic on the pike was down 5 percent from the previous year. A breakdown shows commercial traffic off by 10 percent during that period.

While volume has gradually grown since the first of the year, there’s been little increase in commercial vehicles, DeFebo said.

“We’re still not seeing the volumes. That’s going to take a lot longer to rebound. We expect it to take a year or more. It’s bad,” he said.

Meanwhile, efforts are in place to help ease the trip for travelers on the toll road.

Orders went out that all construction had to be halted by 3 p.m. Wednesday and not resume until 6 a.m. Tuesday.

DeFebo said that while barriers will still be visible, all lanes are open for traffic.

Maintenance work also will cease on the turnpike during the long weekend, he said.

Travelers should expect to see increased numbers of local and state police this weekend as part of an emphasis on safety.

Advice from the Pennsylvania State Police is to allow plenty of time, slow down, don’t drink and drive, and buckle up, a step that may have saved lives last year.

Figures show there were more than 750 crashes that resulted in 15 people being killed statewide during last year’s July 4th holiday, said Capt. Timothy Mercer of Troop G in Hollidaysburg.

PennDOT reported a higher Fourth of July 2008 death rate, with accidents from all police agencies counted.

Spokesman Allison Wenger said there were 34 fatalities during last year’s three-day weekend.

This weekend also will be a national drunken-driving enforcement initiative with more police looking for impaired drivers.

Police will be looking for impaired drivers hauling boats to or from waterways, and an emphasis will be on impaired motorcyclists, she said.

Construction on state highways will be minimized, but barriers and lane restrictions will still be in place in many areas, PennDOT officials said.