KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Experts say people can expect more travelers on the roads, and in the air, over the Labor Day weekend as the final days of summer wrap up.
If you plan on driving this holiday weekend, expect fewer road closures and more drivers.
"With that in mind, we're going to be halting all construction-related lane closures starting on Friday at noon. That's going to carry over all the way until 6 a.m. the following Tuesday after Labor Day, we're just trying to have as much capacity as possible on our roadways," said Mark Nagi, a spokesperson for the Tennessee Department of Transportation.
Nagi says even though the lanes may be open, drivers should still be cautious when driving near the orange cones. He has some tips to keep you safe while driving this weekend, and year-round.
Nagi says drivers should give themselves extra braking room between them and the car in front of them. They also shouldn't drink and drive, and avoid driving while distracted.
"You think sometimes, 'Okay, I'm just going to look down at my phone for a second or two,'" said Nagi. "Well, if you're going 50, 60, 70 miles an hour, that second or two can make a huge difference.
Megan Cooper, with AAA, says the organization is expecting to help out a lot of drivers this holiday weekend.
"We do expect to rescue around 300,000 stranded motorists nationwide over this weekend," said Cooper. "So if you have a road trip planned and it's maybe been a while since you've had an oil change, or had your car looked at all, go ahead and get that done before you head out on your trip. You want to do all of that maintenance on the front end."
The roads won't be the only mode of transportation that's busy. The skies are also expected to see an increase in traffic too.
"The summer months, June and July, have been our busiest month ever for passenger numbers," said Caitlin Darras, a spokesperson for McGhee Tyson Airport. "And so we anticipate that Labor Day weekend will be busy here as well."
She adds in peak times, the airplanes are almost completely full.
"We have seen our aircraft be on average 90% full, which is incredible," said Darras. "We've seen our parking garage, at peak times, be completely full."
Darras says there are things you can do to make sure you'll be on time for your flight, especially with more people in the airport over the next couple of days.
"We just really recommend getting to the airport at least two hours before your flight," said Darras. "That will give you plenty of time to find a thought in the parking garage and check your bag and then get through the security checkpoint."
The Transportation Security Administration, or TSA, expects to screen more than 14 million travelers in airports across the country this Labor Day holiday weekend.
Darras also recommends you look at what you can and can't bring on the TSA's website.