No planned Arizona freeway closures between Christmas, New Year’s

PHOENIX — The Arizona Department of Transportation has an early Christmas present for motorists: There won’t be any scheduled freeway closures for construction between the Christmas and New Year’s weekends.

According to a press release, the department will not schedule “any full closures for construction or maintenance work” on state highways between Dec. 22 and Jan. 2.

This will “limit traffic restrictions and promote safety” on state highways over the holidays, the department said.

However, the department is warning motorists to be aware of existing work-zone restrictions, which will remain in place during the holidays, and allow for extra travel time.

Busy holiday travel season

A record-breaking number of travelers are expected to fly on U.S. airlines this holiday season.

About 51 million Americans are expected to fly in the three weeks around Christmas and New Year’s Day, a 3.5 percent increase over last year.

That’s the forecast from Airlines for America, a trade group for most of the leading U.S. airlines.

That would mean about 80,000 more passengers per day. The trade group said airlines are adding about 91,000 seats per day to handle the crowds.

The group credited an improving economy and airfares that have lagged below the rate of inflation. The forecast counts domestic and international flights between Dec. 15 and Jan. 4.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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