Gas prices expected to rise for busy July 4 travel weekend

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – More than 1 million Hoosiers will hit the road this holiday weekend,  according to AAA.

That estimate rose 10,000 from figures in 2014, when 972,677 Indiana residents traveled for the Fourth of July.

Holiday travel includes any road trip 50 miles or more from home between July 1 and July 5, 2015. The number of Independence Day travelers has steadily increased in Indiana since a sharp dip in 2009, according to AAA.

“Independence Day is typically the busiest summer travel holiday and although some consumers are using money they’ve been saving on recent gas prices to pay down debt, overall, Americans are planning to travel in record numbers,” Greg Seiter, public affairs manager for AAA Hoosier Motor Club, said.

Gas prices are expected to rise at least 20 cents per gallon this weekend, according to GasBuddy.com. The average price per gallon of unleaded gasoline in Indiana is sitting around $2.83 as of July 2. That’s about 9 cents higher than the national average.