936,000 Will Travel on Holiday Weekend

WIS 29 East interchange with Interstate 39 and U.S. Route 51. Photo is in the Public Domain.

Wisconsin roads are likely see heavy traffic over the Fourth of July holiday.

AAA-Wisconsin projects 936,000 people will travel at least 50 miles on state roads over the holiday weekend, with the highest levels of traffic Wednesday night and Sunday.

That would be a 4.5-percent increase from last year.

Analysts say the strong economy has given tourism a boost.

Gas prices are also down more than 20 cents from their peak in the spring. That’s welcome news to the state’s tourism industry, including Leah Hauck of the Wisconsin Dells Visitor and Convention Bureau.

“Wisconsin Dells has already seen record-breaking water park attendance for 2019, so we’re projected to, with the hot weather, do very well for summer travel,” she said.

The state Department of Transportation has suspended most construction work and opened additional lanes to accommodate the traffic.

But the DOT’s Rob Miller said road conditions could still be in flux even if work crews aren’t on site.

“Reduced speeds, maybe lane restrictions,” Miller said. “Drivers are going to need to be alert about the possibility of traffic slowing down in some of these work zones and some of our major travel corridors.”

That includes a more than 18 mile long construction zone along Interstates 41/94 in Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha counties.

The state plans to resume road work Monday morning.

Holiday Travel Gets A Boost From Wisconsin Economy was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.