“As a rule, we try to avoid any type of construction around the holidays,” said John Obr, an area engineer for TxDOT. “In Bell County, we have no construction planned.
“As far as the state goes, we generally have the philosophy of avoiding construction as well,” he added.
Obr said lower gas prices compared to last year could mean more drivers on the road.
“Thanksgiving is generally our heaviest holiday in terms of drivers. If gas prices stay at the level they’re at now, we could experience similar numbers,” he said.
“We could also experience an increase in traffic because the holiday is on a Thursday, and close to the weekend,” said Obr, explaining that more drivers could take extended trips because they could have four-day weekends away from work.
According to a press release from AAA of Texas, of the 5.1 million Texans planning to travel - a decrease of 110,000 travelers as compared to last year - 4.5 million are expected to drive (87.1 percent); 472,000 are expected to fly (9.2 percent); and 128,000 will travel by bus, ship or train (3.7 percent).
Texas is expected to experience a 2.1 percent decline in total travelers, a 0.7 percent decrease in auto travel, and a 10.3 percent decrease in air travel during the two-week Christmas/New Year holiday period compared to last year, according to the AAA of Texas.
AAA estimates that Texans will account for 8 percent of the total number of U.S. citizens traveling during this holiday period.
The release said this year marks the first decline in Christmas holiday travelers since 2002.
However, this year is the third highest year for Christmas travel since 2000. The highest year for Christmas travel was last year, when 65.3 million nationwide and 5.24 million Texans traveled.
“Texas continues to offer some of the lowest priced gasoline in the nation, and is one of only seven states that currently offers a gallon of regular unleaded at an average price of $1.55 or less,” said AAA Texas Corporate Communications Manager Dan Ronan, in the release.
