What Marylanders Should Know Before Traveling This Labor Day Weekend

Marylanders trying to pack in one last trip before summer ends won’t spend as much as they did last year. Flights, hotels and car rentals are all cheaper than they were at this time last year, according to AAA.

And state officials suggest the best times to cross the Bay Bridge to the Eastern Shore if you're heading to the ocean for the holiday weekend.

Domestic round-trip flights are 6 percent cheaper compared to last Labor Day weekend, according to AAA booking data. Hotel rates are down 11 percent, and car rental costs are 3 percent lower than they were last year.

The top domestic destinations this year are:

1. Seattle
2. Orlando, Florida
3. New York City
4. Boston
5. Anchorage
6. Chicago
7. Atlanta
8. Denver
9. Miami
10. Las Vegas

Here’s What You’ll Pay For Gas

Summer fuel prices have remained low, matching summer averages for 2021.

The current average gas price in Maryland is $3.16, about 23 cents per gallon less than a year ago. Gas prices in the District of Columbia are trending about 36 cents less than last year, with the gas price average sitting at $3.25 on Sunday.

AAA said gas prices have seen relatively few fluctuations this year, in large part because crude oil prices have remained steady. Barring a tropical storm or hurricane affecting Gulf Coast refineries, Labor Day gas prices should remain below what they were last year, the auto club said.

If you’re traveling by car, when you leave matters.

It’s best to travel before noon throughout the five-day, Aug. 28-Sept. 1 holiday period, according to INRIX, a provider of transportation data and insights. Saturday is expected to be extra busy, with many people heading out of town for a three-day weekend or taking day trips. If you’re among them, plan on leaving before 10 a.m., AAA advises.

Best Times To Drive Bay Bridge Labor Day Weekend

More than 345,000 vehicles will cross the Bay Bridge between Friday, Aug. 29, and Monday, Sept. 1. Drivers should stay on US 50 on both sides of the bridge to keep local roadways open for first responders and residents, according to the Maryland Department of Transportation.

The best times to travel across the Bay Bridge this holiday period are:

• Thursday, August 28 – before 11 a.m. and after 9 p.m.
• Friday, August 29 – before 10 a.m. and after 9 p.m.
• Saturday, August 30 – before 9 a.m. and after 6 p.m.
• Sunday, August 31 – before 11 a.m. and after 6 p.m.
• Labor Day Monday, September 1 – before 10 a.m. and after 10 p.m.

Drivers should stay on U.S. 50 on both sides of the bridge to keep local roadways open for first responders and residents.

For 24/7 Bay Bridge traffic information, call 1-877-BAYSPAN (1-877-229-7726) or visit real-time traffic cameras.

For real-time updates on major incidents, follow the MDTA on Twitter at twitter.com/TheMDTA or view the feed from our homepage at https://mdta.maryland.gov/.

Best Times To Get Out Of Town

Here are the best and worst times to travel:

Thursday
Best travel time: before 1 p.m.
Worst travel time: 1-8 p.m.

Friday
Best travel time: before noon
Worst travel time: noon-8 p.m.

Saturday
Best travel time: 6-10 a.m.
Worst travel time: 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Sunday
Best travel time: before 11 a.m.
Worst travel time: noon-5 p.m.

Monday
Best travel time: before noon
Worst travel time: 1-4 p.m.

More Police On Highways

Also, expect to see an increased police presence on Maryland highways over the long weekend. Drunken driving crashes increase by as much as 40 percent during Labor Day Weekend, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which kicked off its annual Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over enforcement campaign earlier this month.

The Maryland State Police will have troopers from all 23 barracks in the state conducting high-visibility patrols from Friday, Aug. 29, to Sunday, Aug. 31. The goal is to identify impaired drivers and prevent dangerous driving behaviors. Among the planned initiatives:

• Eastern Region: Troopers from the Maryland State Police Berlin, Centreville, Easton, Princess Anne, and Salisbury barracks will conduct high visibility enforcement along U.S. Routes 13, 301, 50, 404, Maryland Route 413, and throughout their respective counties.
• Central Region: Troopers from the Maryland State Police College Park, Forestville, Golden Ring, Rockville, Waterloo, and Westminster barracks will conduct high visibility enforcement along Interstates 495, 70, Maryland 210, and throughout their respective counties.
• Western Region: Troopers from the Maryland State Police Cumberland, Frederick, Hagerstown, and McHenry barracks will conduct high visibility enforcement along U.S. Routes 40, 65, Interstates 81, 70, and throughout their respective counties.
• Northern Region: Troopers from the Bel Air, JFK Memorial Highway, and North East barracks will conduct high visibility enforcement along U.S. Route 40, Maryland 272, areas known to have a higher number of impaired driving crashes and throughout their respective counties.
• Southern Region: Troopers from the Maryland State Police Annapolis, Glen Burnie, La Plata, Leonardtown, and Prince Frederick barracks will conduct high visibility enforcement along U.S. Route 50, Interstates 97, 695 and throughout their respective counties.

“Impaired driving is totally preventable, yet more than 12,000 people are killed each year because someone selfishly decides to drive under the influence,” NHTSA Chief Counsel Peter Simshauser said at a kickoff event at the National Park Service’s Netherlands Carillon in Arlington, Virginia, on Aug. 12.

Law enforcement officers nationwide are joining us to help stop impaired drivers and save lives. Make the responsible choice ahead of Labor Day weekend and plan ahead — arrange for a sober ride home. Yours is not the only life at stake,” he said.

Nearly one-third of U.S. traffic fatalities involve drunken drivers with a blood-alcohol content at or above the legal limit of .08, NHTSA said. Men 18-34 are most likely to be impaired drivers, and the evening hours are the deadliest, with the chances of alcohol-impaired fatal crashes three times higher than during the day.

Also, the agency said, 41 percent of riders who died in single-motorcycle crashes in 2023 were alcohol impaired.

The safety campaign has a second component, “Drive High, Get a DUI,” which reminds drivers that cannabis and other drugs impair their ability to drive safely and can result in an impaired driving charge.