Many Rockingham County residents staying close to home for Labor Day

Despite much lower gas prices than last year, more people are sticking around home this Labor Day.

Latonya Harris of Browns Summit said she was planning on doing housework and relaxing over the long weekend.

“I just can’t afford to really go anywhere, so I’m just going to hang out at the house,” Harris said after pumping gas at Murphy USA in Reidsville on Tuesday.

Julie Smith of Reidsville echoed that sentiment.

“I know gas prices are a lot cheaper than last year, but I’m still planning to stay home,” Smith said. “We’ll probably just cook out and spend time outside all weekend if the weather’s nice.”

A news release from AAA said Labor Day travel is heavily impacted by when the holiday falls on the calendar. Last year, Labor Day fell on Sept. 1, allowing for a long weekend trip before a new school year started for many children. This year’s later holiday will keep a lot of families from traveling because of school.

The release stated that about 39 million travelers are expected to take a trip of 50 miles or more away from home, a decrease from last year when 45.1 millions Americans traveled during the Labor Day holiday weekend.

In terms of expense, travel costs this year are considerably less than last year. Gas prices at most stations in Reidsville were around $2.45 Tuesday morning. According to GasBuddy.com, a Web site that allows the public report gas prices, the average a year ago was more than $3.60 a gallon.

For residents who are planning to get away for the long weekend, Pam Cundiff, owner of Travel Consultants in Eden, said deals abound.

“There are some really great values out there,” Cundiff said Monday. She said Labor Day travel interest has been good, but “slightly less” than less year.

Some of her clients are planning weeklong end-of-summer cruises, but a lot of people are making plans to visit the coast.

“We’ve got clients going a variety of places,” she said.

There’s good news for travelers who are hitting the North Carolina highways this weekend.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation will suspend most road construction activities over the Labor Day holiday to help make travel easier.

Most construction projects along interstates, N.C. and U.S. routes will be suspended beginning at 4 p.m. Friday until 9 a.m. next Tuesday.

In a news release, NCDOT urged travelers to leave early to get a head start on their trips and travel at non-peak times and to stay alert in work zones, even when workers are not present. To get real-time travel information, travelers can call 511, NCDOT’s free travel information line.