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2.2 million Arizonans expected to travel for the holidays

About 2.2 million Arizonans are expected to be traveling for the holidays, according to AAA Arizona. 

It will be one of the busiest holiday periods the organization has tracked in more than two decades. It’s been steadily climbing since the COVID-19 pandemic. 

AAA spokesman Julian Paredes said despite inflation, holiday travel is slightly less expensive this year.

“Hotels are a little bit cheaper, rental cars are actually a lot cheaper compared to last year, airfare is a little bit cheaper, but it’s still averaging more than $600," he said. "It’s less expensive than previous years, but it’s not cheap by any means.”

For those hitting the road, Garin Groff with the Arizona Department of Transportation said drivers won’t face any freeway construction closures for the rest of the year. He said ADOT completed 300 miles of repairs in 2023.

“We’ve been working on everywhere from interstates right around Phoenix to southern Arizona to northern Arizona, repairing sections of highway that were damaged in a record-setting winter.”

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Senior field correspondent Bridget Dowd has a bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.