Expect heavy Memorial Day weekend travel

It is Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial start of summer and it looks to be a busy weekend on Illinois roadways. Triple-A forecasts some one-point-nine million Illinoisians will travel at least 50 miles from their home this weekend. That’s a seven percent increase over last year and on-par with Memorial Day weekend travel levels back in 2017. About one-point-seven million of travelers are expected to to so by car, despite near-record gas prices. As we head into the weekend Triple-A says the average price for a gallon of regular, no lead gas is four-dollars-96 cents in the state of Illinois, off the record high of 4.98 set just five days ago. In Kankakee County the average is 4.81, down eight cents from last weeks record levels, but still more than a buck-60 more than we paid last Memorial Day weekend. Nationally the average cost for gasoline is 4.59 a gallon.