(Photo: WisDOT)
A record number of people are expected to hit the roads and airports during the upcoming Fourth of July holiday weekend.
Auto club AAA projects that nearly 43 million Americans are planning to take a trip of 50 miles or more, with about 924,000 of them coming from Wisconsin. It represents an increase of about 1.3 percent nationally and almost two percent in Wisconsin, compared to 2015.
Nick Jarmusz with AAA-Wisconsin says growing confidence in the economy and long-term low gas prices are big reasons for the jump, with people feeling more comfortable about spending some of the money they have saved from paying lower gas prices over the past 18 months.
Statewide average gas prices are currently hanging at around $2.40 for a gallon of regular unleaded fuel, which is down about five cents in the past week and almost 40 cents from a year ago. Jarmusz says those traveling this weekend can expect to pay the lowest price for the Independence Day weekend in more than a decade.