Gas Prices Drop in Virginia as Residents Prepare For Holiday Travel

Where are you going this holiday season?

Nearly 2.7 million Virginia residents will go over the river and through the woods for Christmas and the New Year holiday, according to AAA. While this is only a slight increase from last year, it will still be a busier-than-average holiday season.  “The fact that the number of Virginians expected to travel this year-end exceeds the decade high average by four percent illustrates the importance of being with loved ones for the holidays, regardless of a struggling economy,” said Martha Mitchell Meade, Manager of Public and Government Affairs for AAA Mid-Atlantic.” The 2012 year-end holiday travel season officially starts Saturday and continues through Tuesday, Jan. 1. Nationally, more than 88 million people will travel, mostly by car. Gas …

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Best and Worst Times for Thanksgiving Travel

If you're traveling by car this Thanksgiving in Northern Virginia, try to drive very early in the morning.

About 43.6 million people are planning to travel 50 miles or more for their Thanksgiving meal this year, according to AAA—and 90 percent of those people are traveling by car. While Northern Virginia is traffic-heavy throughout the holiday period, the day before Thanksgiving is the heaviest travel day. To help you plan your travel, the Virginia Department of Transportation created this set of maps showing Thanksgiving traffic congestion from Wednesday, Nov. 23 through Sunday, Nov. 27, 2011. Unlike last year, the Beltway Express Lanes will be open for Thanksgiving, which may alleviate some of the Thanksgiving travel congestion on Wednesday. The 2011 maps show the heaviest travel in Northern Virginia last year, particularly around the Beltway…

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Weekend Travel: Weather and Closures

Use this guide to help you plan your trips in and around the region.

As you head into this weekend, make your travel in and around the region easier by using this handy guide to closures in the area. As always, you can check live traffic information on the Patch Commute tab. This weekend will be cooler than last weekend, with temperatures reaching the low 90s.  Drivers can expect full road closures of Interstate 495 south at Arlington Blvd, I-66 west between Dulles Connector Road and Leesburg Pike, Dulles Connector Road east at I-495, and Jones Branch Drive at the Hilton Hotel.  There will also be closures on the Inner and Outer Loop at Chain Bridge Road between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. on July 15 for bridge inspections. I-95 near Dumfries will have rolling closures on both the northbound and southbound sides on …

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Weekend Travel: Weather and Closures

Use this guide to help you plan your trips in and around the region.

As you head into this weekend, make your travel in and around the region easier by using this handy guide to closures in the area. As always, you can check live traffic information on the Patch Commute tab. Though there is a severe thunderstorm warning and tornado watch for the area today, tomorrow and Sunday promise to be mostly sunny for your trip to the Occoquan Craft Show. Drivers can expect up to two of three lanes to be closed overnight this weekend on northbound Interstate 95 over Russell Road (Exit 148) as crews mill and pave the bridge deck. Work will take place from 8 p.m. until 6 a.m. Friday and Saturday nights (June 1-2), and may continue Sunday night, June 3 from 8 p.m. until 4 a.m. Monday morning. Crews are scheduled to mill …

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I-95 Travel Time Signs Debut Today

Motorists on I-95 will be able to get travel times on the fly from electronic highway signs.

Starting today, electronic signs along I-95 between Fredericksburg and Washington, D.C., will display travel times for the heavily trafficked highway. The Virginia Department of Transportation has been running a similar program since August on I-66 between the beltway and Gainesville. "Using travel data to display accurate travel times allows motorists to consider taking an alternate route before getting mired in traffic or, at the very least, know what to expect,” said Governor McDonnell in a press release. “Whether you are a daily commuter, long distance traveler or trucker, this information is helpful.” Travel information will be displayed on electronic billboards at seven locations, three for northbound motorists, four for southbound …

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Tackling Technology

Gadget Checklist: 8 things to have ready for your next trip

Before any trip, be it for business or pleasure, make sure your gadgets are ready for take-off.

Whether for a quick weekend trip or heading back to school for a semester, take the time to prepare your gadgets along with your other necessities.    1.  Back up/ synch your devices:  Our phones and media players have data you don't want to lose.  Make sure you have a way of backing up or synching your device and do it before you hit the road.  A lost phone that hasn't been synched is a very sad—and possibly costly—situation. 2.  Make sure you have a charger/adapters: Usually, traveling with your gadgets results in heavier use than your day-to-day usage, so make sure you have chargers that can keep them running for the entire haul.  If you are traveling out of the country, check to see if you need to get a power adapter for where you are …