PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Millions of people are expected to fuel up their cars and extend their travel legs this holiday weekend.
The most popular way to travel this Memorial Day weekend, according to AAA, will be by car. It is estimated that more than 37 million people are driving.
“The worst part is right here in Ohio. They don’t have an express lane for E-ZPass. It’s terrible. The traffic is just unnecessary,” Melpo Christofidou of Philadelphia said of her commute to Chicago.
This seemed to be a hindrance since their toll plaza is not as automated as Pennsylvania’s. This family considered flying from Philadelphia to Chicago, but decided to drive instead.
“Three people who flew to Chicago from Philadelphia, the prices were terrible. They doubled from last year,” Christofidou said.
Just under 3.5 million people will fly. For drivers, they can expect to see gas prices drop from this time last year. AAA said the national average last year was $4.60. It is now $3.50 per gallon. Pennsylvania is above that at $3.68 per gallon.
“I didn’t get gas in Pennsylvania. I’ll wait until I get to Ohio because it’s going to be like 50 to 60 cents a gallon difference,” said Thomas Umpleby of Ohio.
West Virginia is about $3.41 a gallon and Ohio is 10 cents higher at about $3.51 a gallon.
“A lot of traffic. The cops are out. That’s a good thing to keep the toll under control,” said Kathleen Miller of Brownsville.
The police are expected to come out in large numbers. KDKA-TV saw Ohio troopers using a radar gun on cars driving on State Route 7.
“A guy drove past me with Michigan license plates. He pulled over. There was an Ohio State Patrol sitting on a curve and pulled right over,” Umpleby said.
Crossing state lines back into Pennsylvania, the state police were watching the turn like a hawk.
“I saw eight policemen. They stopped the dryers,” Christofidou said.
If you haven’t left yet, here are some tips from AAA.
