Tag: Holiday Travel

Busy Holiday Travel Season Anticipated For W.Va. Turnpike 

“Given that Christmas Day falls on a Monday, we’ll see more travel throughout the weekend,” Miller said.

The West Virginia Parkways Authority is gearing up for a busy Christmas holiday travel season. 

Officials say the West Virginia Turnpike will see 1.33 million transactions over the 13-day holiday travel period from Thursday, Dec. 21, through Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024.

Parkways Authority Executive Director Jeff Miller said forecasted rainy weather and above average temperatures over Christmas will likely mean more travelers will use the turnpike.

“Given that Christmas Day falls on a Monday, we’ll see more travel throughout the weekend,” Miller said. “That may allow more people to get out and get to their destinations over the course of Saturday and Sunday and then return mid week.” 

Miller said peak travel times are expected most days from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. 

“So we do expect a slight increase over last year’s traffic and we expect it will be in line with 2017 when both Christmas and New Year’s fell on a Monday.” 

Turnpike traffic volume is expected to be about the same as 2022 travel figures, or slightly higher at just below 1.3 million.

Drivers are reminded to be respectful and pay attention to flaggers who will be positioned at the turnpike to direct people to the right lane of the toll plaza and encourage smooth traffic flow.

The West Virginia Parkways Authority said it is anticipating more mid-week travel than usual from Tuesday to Thursday after Christmas. This is credited to a football bowl game between the West Virginia University Mountaineers and the University of North Carolina Tar Heels. The game will be held in Charlotte, N.C. on Wednesday, Dec 27, at 5:30 p.m. 

West Virginia Taking Applications for Holiday Safety Breaks

The West Virginia Division of Highways is encouraging groups to apply to host holiday safety breaks at rest areas and welcome centers.

The program is intended to encourage drivers to take a break while traveling.

The agency says permission is granted only to civic nonprofit organizations with an identifiable safety program targeting transportation, or to groups that participate in the Adopt-A-Highway Program.

Fundraising groups and organizations sponsoring festivals, fairs and recreational activities aren’t allowed to host safety breaks.

Permission will be granted during the holidays of New Year’s Day, Easter, Mother’s Day, Memorial Day, Father’s Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Day and the first day of Buck Gun Season.

For West Virginia Public Broadcasting, I’m Jesse Wright.

An application and more information are available here.

W.Va. Turnpike Traffic Up This Holiday Season

Low gas prices and favorable weather added up to more holiday travelers on the West Virginia Turnpike.

Parkways Authority General Manager Greg Barr says the 10-day Christmas Travel period starting Dec. 19 saw 1,067,818 toll transactions. That’s up nearly 16,000 transactions from 2013.

Barr told The Charleston Gazette lower gas prices influenced holiday travelers. Nationally, gas prices for holiday travel fell to their lowest levels since 2008, according to AAA.

Warmer and snow-free weather conditions also helped.

Christmas Day was the least-traveled, with only about 54,000 transactions.

Turnpike Holiday Traffic Up Compared to 2013

Traffic on the West Virginia Turnpike rose during the Thanksgiving holiday compared to a year ago.

Media outlets report that traffic along the 88-mile highway for the six-day period ending Sunday increased 8 percent compared with the 2013 period. Sunday was the busiest travel day.

West Virginia Parkways Authority toll director Steve Maynard says the number of toll transactions was below the Thanksgiving period in 2010, 2011 and 2012.

Half the State Bracing for Snow

Nearly half of the state is bracing for snow as the Thanksgiving travel season gets underway in West Virginia.  

Forecasters say a nor’easter is making its way up the East Coast bringing precipitation Wednesday into Thursday, with snowfall expected in the higher elevations especially across central Appalachia.

Travel could become hazardous Wednesday on portions of Interstates 68, 64 and 81. WV511 will have the latest road conditions as well as a list of accidents and traffic delays available on their website.

As of Wednesday morning, power outages were being reported in many counties across the West Virginia for both First Energy and American Electric Power customers.

Here are some helpful resources:

Road Conditions

Accidents and Delays

First Energy Outage Map

American Electric Power Outage Map

National Weather Service Forecast

W.Va. Turnpike Prepares for Holiday Travel Surge

The West Virginia Turnpike is preparing for its busiest travel period.
 
The turnpike’s governing agency, the West Virginia Parkways Authority, plans to fully staff all three toll plazas along the 88-mile highway during the Thanksgiving travel period’s peak hours. There also will be temporary toll booths with additional collectors.

But Parkways general manager Greg Barr tells the Charleston Daily Mail that the extra help might not be enough.
 
Barr says a toll plaza might be able to handle about 2,000 transactions an hour. During peak hours, traffic is typically heavier.
 
The turnpike typically has two peak periods. One is between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. Wednesday. The other is between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Sunday.
 
Barr advises motorists to avoid traveling during the peak periods.

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