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Record number of holiday motorists expected

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Officials are expecting heavier highway traffic this holiday season.

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Vehicles jam a roadway at Oakland International airport.

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The two shopping complexes across from one another on Route 19 in South Strabane Township, Strabane Square and Trinity Point, can create a traffic quagmire during the Christmas rush.

Lower gasoline prices, plus higher temperatures, are expected to add up to heavier highway traffic this holiday season.

AAA projects the number of year-end holiday travelers will exceed 100 million for the first time, with more than 90 percent of travelers driving to their destinations.

The organization credits higher employment rates, higher incomes and lower prices – including gas prices – for the holiday-travel trend.

The national average price of gasoline will drop below $2 per gallon Wednesday for the first time since 2009 – a present for those dreaming of a white Christmas.

Snow seekers will need to travel more than 1,000 miles to get it, said National Weather Service meteorologist Joe Palko, who located the closest snowfall to Southwestern Pennsylvania in the Dakotas.

“This is an unseasonably warm air mass,” said Palko. “We are 20 to 25 degrees above normal for this time of the year.”

For those staying closer to home, the only precipitation expected will be rainfall.

“The unusually warm weather is really going to continue now through the weekend. There’s not going to be any travel problems across the state, nor in the Northeast or southern parts of the country,” Palko said. “If you look at our forecast, it looks like a broken record. Every day, there’s a chance of rain, now through the end of the year.”

Because increased volume on the roads can lead to more accidents, state police distributed holiday travel safety tips, advising motorists to be prepared for changing weather conditions by reducing speed and increasing following distances, and moving over or slowing down for emergency personnel.

Enforcement will be increased over the next two weeks, with additional officers patrolling highways and enforcing speeding and aggressive driving violations. Officers also will conduct numerous DUI patrols into the first weekend in January.

State Department of Transportation spokeswoman Valerie Petersen advised Pennsylvania holiday travelers to wear seat belts and obey speed limits.

“The key thing is to be safe and have fun,” she said.

To get up-to-date road and weather conditions, visit www.511PA.com.

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