Drivers hit the highway for Labor Day weekend

JACKSON, Tenn. — Drivers hit the road for the long Labor Day weekend. Friday is expected to be one of the busiest travel days of the year.

Robert Snyder is driving from North Carolina to New Mexico. “Moving very fast,” he said. “A lot of truckers on the road.”

A new TripAdvisor survey said Labor Day travel is up 10 percent from last year. According to the survey, 33 percent of travelers leave Friday and 60 percent drive.

“A lot of cars going pretty fast on the road,” Snyder said. “Everybody’s keeping up.”

TripAdvisor said 33 percent of travelers will fly to their destinations this Labor Day, up 6 percent from last year.

Clark Bennett flew in from Rhode Island to visit his grandchildren. “Airport was pretty crowded,” he said. “There were a lot of people.”

The Tennessee Department of Transportation said it suspended temporary lane closures through Tuesday morning. “We want everyone to get to their destination safely, and so giving them the maximum amount of lanes to do that helps,” TDOT Community Relations Officer Nichole Lawrence said.

Snyder said so far it has been a good travel day. “Everybody’s getting to the left, getting to the right when they need to,” he said.

The Tennessee Highway Patrol plans to increase enforcement during the holiday weekend. Troopers said 14 people died on Tennessee roads over Labor Day weekend last year, and alcohol was a factor in six of those deaths.

TDOT said lane closure activity will continue at 6 a.m. Tuesday.