|
"The roads are going to be busy and the airports are going to be
full," Molly Hart of AAA told The Center Square. "Here in Illinois,
nearly 2.8 million people are going to be traveling somewhere 50
miles or more."
The average price for a gallon of gas is currently $4.00 in
Illinois, which is higher than the national average of $3.66 per
gallon. Hart said many travelers have budgeted their trips around
the inflated prices.
"People are just changing their driving or their budgeting
differently this year," Hart said. "What I mean by that is maybe
they are packing extra bottles of water and snacks instead of
stopping at a gas station or somewhere to grab lunch."
Hart also explained that the heavy amount of travel in Illinois is
on par with the rest of the nation.
"When we put together our Thanksgiving forecast, we saw that this
year 54.6 million people will be traveling this Thanksgiving
nationally, and 89% of those people will be traveling by car," Hart
said. "We are coming out of the pandemic, and people want to spend
this holiday with their loved ones."
To avoid having to fill up too much this weekend, Illinois residents
are encouraged by their local AAA branches to make sure they have at
least a quarter tank of gas before hitting the road. Travelers can
also see a map of road closures throughout the state on the Illinois
Department of Transportation website.
Andrew Hensel has years of experience as a
reporter and pre-game host for the Joliet Slammers, and as a
producer for the Windy City Bulls. A graduate of Iowa Wesleyan
University and Illinois Media School, Andrew lives in the south
suburbs of Chicago. |
|
