Venues, car gas tanks filling up for Fourth of July holiday; gas price up 58 cents over last year in Arkansas

Rising fuel prices have motorists undeterred for the Fourth of July holiday.

AAA, the North American travel club, projects a record 46.9 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home over the Independence Day period, which is defined as Tuesday through July 8.

"This Independence Day will be one for the record books, as more Americans take to the nation's roads, skies, rails and waterways than ever before," said Bill Sutherland, senior vice president at AAA Travel and Publishing.

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The national average for a gallon of regular gasoline was $2.85 on Friday, 61 cents higher than a year ago. The price has fallen 9 cents since Memorial Day.

In Arkansas, the average price for a gallon of regular gasoline was $2.58, 58 cents higher than a year ago.

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Weston Lewey said she also believes that many Arkansans and out-of-state travelers will be undeterred by the higher fuel prices. The owner and publisher of the Times-Herald newspaper in Forrest City keeps tabs on Fourth of July and other holiday travel as a member of the Arkansas State Parks, Recreation and Travel Commission.

"As far as gas prices, it's always higher in the summer," she said. "It's a little worse than last year, but last year it was super low."

Her gauge? Cabins and lodge rooms at state parks and other holiday venues.

"Lots and lots of things are booked up, and booking up quickly," Lewey said. "A lot of campsites available, but not a lot of cabins and rooms."

The weather might deter some people from camping.

The National Weather Service office in North Little Rock is forecasting that a ridge of high pressure that has kept heat index values in the triple digits in recent days will moderate some by Wednesday, the Fourth, but it will still be hot.

Instead of temperatures in the middle to upper 90s, the highs Wednesday are forecast to be in the lower 90s in the Little Rock area and the upper 80s farther north, mixed with a small chance of rain, according to meteorologist Marty Trexler.

"There's a little bit of a cooling chance," he said.

The busiest traffic day locally is likely to be Tuesday, as commuters leaving work early mix in with holiday travelers.

The holiday is generally among the nation's deadliest, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The organization's latest analysis for the years 2012-16 found that more people died in traffic crashes on the Fourth of July than all but one other day of the year.

A total of 495 people died in July 4 motor vehicle crashes for the years 2012-16, the latest data available. That's an annual July 4 average of 99 people, the institute said.

The only day with a higher death toll than July 4 was Aug. 2. A total of 505 people died in traffic crashes on that day during the 2012-16 time period, for an Aug. 2 average of 101 deaths annually.

And many of those fatal crashes involve drunken drivers, according to the Arkansas State Police, which has announced that it and other law enforcement agencies have assigned additional personnel to man "saturation patrols and sobriety checkpoints" for the holiday period.

Nationwide, 188 people died in crashes involving at least one driver or motorcycle operator with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 percent or higher on July 4, 2016, the most recent data available, the state police said.

That death toll was a 28 percent increase from the same day in 2015, according to the agency.

"No matter your age, if you've been drinking or may be impaired in any manner, you should find a safe and sober ride to your destination or face the likelihood of being arrested," said Col. Bill Bryant, the state police director.

The increased number of vehicles on the road also could slow travel in some areas that have ongoing road construction projects.

The Arkansas Department of Transportation listed 16 locations on the Arkansas Primary Highway Network where motorists will encounter lane closings.

The department "has been working hard to open as many lanes as possible," the agency said in a statement. "Still, travelers will likely face construction zones and possible delays due to increased traffic volume."

The construction locations include three on Interstate 40, all in St. Francis County; two on Interstate 555 in Craighead and Poinsett counties; and one on Interstate 530 in Jefferson County.

As for Lewey, she said she will be staying home on Independence Day, partly because it falls in the middle of the week and "we have to work."

"I am actually going to stay in town for the Fourth, but go to Greers Ferry for the weekend," Lewey added. "We are going to take Friday off."

Metro on 07/01/2018