Travel safely and efficiently this July Fourth holiday

T-L Photo/JOSIE BURKHART
Cars travel on U.S. 40 in Belmont County on Tuesday. Officials expect traffic to increase as the July 4 holiday approaches.

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — Around 70 million people plan to travel for the Fourth of July this year across the U.S., including 3.3 million Ohioans.

AAA projects the busiest days for traveling the roads will be July 3 as people are traveling to their destinations and July 7 as people are returning home. This is a record-breaking year for Fourth of July travel, said Kara Hitchens, public affairs manager for AAA.

Hitchens provided safety tips for travel this holiday. Getting vehicles checked out before traveling is important to avoid the headache of being stuck on the side of the road and to eliminate any traffic safety issues from car damage, she said. If people plan to fly, she suggests downloading the airline’s app to ensure notifications of any delays or cancellations.

Lauren Borell, public information officer for the Ohio Department of Transportation District 11, is expecting an increase in traffic on Interstate 70 in Belmont County and on Interstate 77, U.S. 22, U.S. 250 and Ohio 7 this year.

Wednesday and Sunday are days expected to be filled with the most traffic during the 1-4 p.m. time frame, she said.

Expect some road closures and traffic this year, but Borell said ODOT works closely with contractors to minimize traffic impacts as much as possible during holidays by removing lane closures, especially on interstates and in any work zone areas that can be temporarily taken down to allow more traffic flow.

Motorists can find traffic advisories across all of Ohio, including Belmont, Harrison and Monroe counties, on the ODOT traffic advisory webpage at transportation.ohio.gov.

Popular areas local residents visit during this holiday are outdoor recreation options, including The Zion Retreat & RV Center in Flushing. The retreat is completely booked for all of its campsites and cabins for the upcoming weekend, according to Jackee Pugh, executive director of Belmont County Tourism. Pugh also believes Barkcamp State Park is nearly booked as well.

“People love to get outside, have campfires, check out the fireworks,” she said “and just, you know, really get that Fourth of July summer holiday tradition with your hot dogs and hamburgers over the campfire.”

Deputies will be on normal routine patrol throughout the holiday weekend, according to Chief Deputy James Zusack of the Belmont County Sheriff’s Office. Although the traffic will increase and a larger crowd will be traveling through the county, the deputies’ day-by-day routine will remain the same.

He said the office’s call volume increases during this holiday, which means calls for service, domestic calls, fireworks calls and noise complaints are higher. The deputies will be checking on small businesses to make sure they’re OK with the increase in people who are stopping at gas stations when traveling through.

Zusack said that although the number of calls increases, it is not overwhelming and if the office does need extra resources, it has them available.

Other calls the deputies receive are residents calling about distressed pets and livestock from the sounds of fireworks, so he advises residents to take precautions with livestock and keep pets inside.

“Our office is hoping everybody has a safe holiday and, you know, we don’t have to ruin anybody’s holiday by them doing something that’s out of line” he said. “That’s not what we want to do. But if we have to, we will, but we’re just wishing everybody a safe, happy Fourth of July from our office.”

People can expect to see an increased presence of state troopers on Interstates 70 and 470, as well as main state routes, such as Ohio 7 and U.S. 40, said Sgt. Brittany Brannan from the St. Clairsville Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

A holiday reporting period will be run, which means an increase in troopers’ visibility will occur from midnight July 3 to midnight July 7, she said.

OVI enforcement will increase, waiting for people operating a vehicle impaired. This enforcement is the main focus but still does not change the daily routine that troopers follow. Daily routine enforcement for troopers include looking for distracted driving, speeding, reckless operation of vehicles and seat belt use, which are all big factors, Brannan said.

Overtime for troopers is federally funded with money that comes into the state, she said. It is for specific items, though, that federal overtime can go toward. For the July Fourth reporting period, overtime posted is primarily to focus on impaired drivers and speed enforcement.

Patrol units on the roadway are increased during the holiday so that there is a higher visibility and presence to increase public safety on the roads, Brannan said.

The St. Clairsville Post of Highway State Patrol is tasked with covering Belmont and Monroe counties.

Brannan stressed how important it is to designate a sober driver after celebrating this holiday and to put down any distractions while driving.

“We just ask that if you’re going to partake in the festivities of the Fourth of July that you’re just responsible and designate a sober driver, or use a rideshare app that may be available in your area, or a taxi service.” she said. “Of course, put the phones down while you’re driving to avoid any additional distractions in the vehicle and, as always, buckle up.”