Sheboygan Press Media

Low gas prices and a rebounding sense of financial security will result in an increased number of Wisconsin residents hitting the road for Labor Day weekend.

According to AAA Wisconsin, more than 731,000 Wisconsinites are expected to travel over the weekend, which is a 1.4 percent increase over last year. Nationwide, 34.7 million travelers will go 50 miles or more from home, the highest number since 2008, and almost 30 million of those will be automobile travelers.

Part of the reason includes gas prices, which are the lowest August rates drivers have seen since 2010.

Gasbuddy.com reports that prices are expected to continue their decline and that by Veterans Day on Nov. 11, much of the United States will see gas prices at about $3.25 per gallon.

"As the economy continues to make modest gains, more Americans have gone back to work this year," said AAA Wisconsin President Victoria Hanson in the organization's travel forecast.

AAA defines the Labor Day holiday travel period as Thursday, Aug. 28, to Monday, Sept. 1, which coincides every year with the Sheboygan County Fair.

The event, which draws thousands of people to the fairgrounds in Plymouth, creates its own traffic snarls.

This year, the Sheboygan County Fair Association and the Plymouth Police Department are alerting drivers that traffic back-ups are likely at the Highway 23 and Fairview Drive/county Highway OJ intersection.

Drivers are advised to take the county Highway E exit to Douglas Drive and follow the signs to general parking to avoid the congestion.

Free shuttle service will be also available from the Plymouth Kmart parking lot starting at 9 a.m. on Friday. Then on Saturday and Sunday from the Plymouth High School to the fairgrounds starting at 9 a.m.

The weather over Labor Day weekend is expected to be at least a little damp.

According to the National Weather Service, rain and thunderstorms are likely on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and temperatures will top out at 76 on Friday and 74 on Saturday.

Sunday will be mostly sunny with only a 20 percent chance of rain and a high of 73. Labor Day is expected to be partly sunny with a 30 percent chance of showers and a high of 76.