Labor Day travel rush begins in Port City with backups and delays

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) – The holiday travel rush is underway and according to travel experts it’s expected to be the busiest Labor Day for travel in three years — getting back p to pre-pandemic travel levels.

From I-10 to the Bayway and everywhere in between — just about every road and back-up in downtown leads to the tunnels — making a holiday getaway challenging.

“I’m actually going to Pensacola, Florida — to catch a flight to Houston and this is going to cause a delay,” said Josh Lockwood, sitting in Mobile traffic.

Lockwood is among the more than 12.5-million Americans flying this weekend — that’s if he ever gets out of Mobile.

“I think we need to figure out a better way to get in and out of the tunnels, especially the Bankhead Tunnel. Lee: What about the bridge situation? — We need to do something — make it happen. It’s taken us 30 minutes to go three inches,” said Lockwood.

While construction on a new I-10 Bridge and Bayway could begin in late 2023 — folks aren’t holding their breath.

Meanwhile even though prices at the pump have come down from their summer peak of $5 a gallon, $3.19 for regular is still nothing to celebrate.

“Lee: How often do you have to fill up? — Woman: At least once a week sometimes two. Lee: What’s that been like lately? — Tough! Very tough!”

While others are hitting the road this Labor Day — she tells us not her.

“This is the first Labor Day — that I’m going to labor because I can’t enjoy it. Lee: So you’re actually going to work this Labor Day? — yeah. And if you want a better premium — you’re like 3.50/4.00 dollars — still. I shouldn’t have to spend… I shouldn’t have to budget gas the way I do.”

Back on the street — those traveling over the next few days will need to “budget” some extra time and a whole lot of patience.

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