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Thousands of Pennsylvanians expected to travel for July 4th holiday weekend

Travel experts predict this July 4th weekend will be one of the busiest for travel since before the pandemic.

HARRISBURG, Pa. — With the 4th of July weekend right around the corner, travel experts say they expect thousands of Pennsylvanians to take holiday trips this upcoming weekend.

At Harrisburg International Airport, PR Representative Scott Miller says the number of passengers for this weekend will approach pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels.

“We are expecting 17 to 18,000 passengers in and out over that five day period," Miller said. "That’s about 92 percent of where we were in 2019, which was our record year.”

While thousands of residents will taking to the skies this weekend, officials say even more will be hitting the road for their holiday travel. Many will be going on the PA Turnpike.

“Over the course of the next 10 day period, we’ll have closer to 5.8 million vehicles on our roadway," said Rosanne Placey with the PA Turnpike.

Rosanne Placey says the Turnpike’s projections indicate that drivers are moving forward with regular summer travel, despite gas hovering around $5 a gallon.

“This next 10-day period is prime summer vacation travel," said Placey. "Either you’re taking a short jaunt for the Independence Day holiday, or sometime over the next 10 days you’re heading to the beach, or going camping, or going to the mountains.”

As Pennsylvanians prepare to travel this holiday weekend, travel experts say residents should follow simple travel tips such as arriving early for flights and driving safely on the highway.

“Plan ahead, be prepared, be patient," Miller said. "Remember that traveling is a privilege, not a right. We are free to travel in this country and it’s one of the great things we celebrate this time of year.”

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