This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Utahns and other residents of AAA's Mountain West region are expected to travel in a big way during the upcoming Independence Day weekend.
AAA Utah spokeswoman Rolayne Fairclough said Monday that more than 3 million residents of the region — which also includes Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Nevada — will drive, board planes, buses, trains or watercraft to celebrate the nation's 239th birthday.
That is roughly the same volume as that for 2014 Fourth of July travel, which was just 0.1 percent higher than the estimate for this year.
"Overall, Mountain West residents are taking a long deserved getaway, driven by a stronger economy and rising income," Fairclough said. "And despite recent spikes in fuel prices, this upcoming three-day weekend provides a welcomed pause for those planning a holiday road trip."
AAA projects 2.4 million Mountain West residents will drive to reach their holiday destinations. That's a 0.3 percent increase when compared to last year. Air travel will increase by 0.1 percent with more than 319,000 travelers expected to hit the clouds.
More than 280,000 Mountain West residents plan to travel by other modes of transportation, such as rail, bus and watercraft. This represents a decrease of 3.2 percent when compared to travel figures from last year.
Nationally, AAA forecasts more than 41 million people will travel 50 miles or more during the holiday weekend, a 0.7 percent increase compared to 2014.
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