KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The busy summer travel season is almost here. This week students across East Tennessee wrap up their school year, just in time for Memorial Day weekend.
Travelers who plan to hit the road in "big orange country" will not have to worry about delays from big orange barrels during the holiday. TDOT is halting all construction-related lane closures on interstates and state routes from noon Friday through 6 a.m. Tuesday.
"Certainly, we know this is going to be a busy holiday weekend. We are trying to increase capacity on our roadways to make sure folks can get to and from their destinations as quickly and safely as possible," said TDOT spokesperson Mark Nagi.
Before and after the holiday, travelers are bound to run into delays almost any way they turn in East Tennessee. Contractors are working non-stop to get as much work done before the required holiday break.
"This is the time of year we see a lot of long-term construction projects take place," said Nagi. "We have resurfacing projects on I-40 in Knoxville, construction of a truck lane on I-75 in Campbell County, and there will be work on the Alcoa Highway project for years."
Vacationers headed to Cades Cove in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park can expect delays between Walland and Townsend on Lamar Alexander Parkway. The road remains down to one lane while workers continue to stabilize the site of a February rockslide.
GAS PRICES AND SUMMERS TRAVEL PLANS INCREASE
Holiday travelers may not have to fight construction, but they still have to deal with rising prices at the pump.
GasBuddy says the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline has risen $0.67 since New Year's. That's the largest seasonal spike in gas prices since 2011.
Even though gas prices have increased since January, keep in mind the New Year had very low fuel prices. The average cost of a gallon of regular in Tennessee was $1.98 in January. Now AAA says the state average is up to $2.54. That is still almost 20 cents less than last Memorial Day. The average price for a gallon of regular on Memorial Day 2018 was $2.73 in Tennessee.
The relatively low price of fuel compared to last year may be why a GasBuddy survey shows a 16 percent increase in Americans who plan to take a road trip this summer compared to the same survey results in 2018.
Road-trippers driving through Tennessee will find the sixth lowest gas prices in the country. East Tennessee has overall lower gas prices than other regions of the state. In our area, AAA says the lowest average price is in Blount County at $2.43 per gallon of regular gasoline.