Coloradans heading out of town for a final round of summer fun over Labor Day weekend can expect busy highways and long lines at Denver International Airport, though experts say a little planning may reduce travel stress.
DIA will see an estimated 429,000 people pass through airport security between Thursday and Tuesday, with peak travel days seeing 85,000 people on Friday and 84,000 people on Monday, airport officials said.
That’s about 10,000 more people per day than in July, when an average of 75,409 people went through security every day.
A good chunk of those people will be on United flights, with the airline expecting more than 64,000 people flying out of Denver every day.
This is the first major holiday since the airport opened the new east security checkpoint, which means all security checkpoints are now on the north end of level 6. The south checkpoint is now closed.
Travelers can expect the longest lines from 3 to 4:30 a.m., 8 to 10 a.m. and 3 to 5 p.m., airport officials said.
For folks hitting the road, the best times to travel are generally before noon, according to AAA.
“The worst times to drive over the holiday weekend are typically in the afternoon and early evening. Saturday is expected to be extra busy with many drivers heading out of town or taking day trips,” AAA officials said in a news release.
The worst of metro Denver’s Labor Day traffic is expected to hit northbound Interstate 25 from Denver to Fort Collins at noon Thursday, with an expected travel time of 1 hour and 38 minutes, the organization said.
Along with heavy traffic, drivers can expect to see additional Colorado State Patrol troopers on the road this weekend as the agency targets people driving under the influence.
Colorado often sees an increase in deadly crashes during the summer, and troopers arrested 32 people on Labor Day alone last year for driving while impaired.
“You can quickly turn a weekend of relaxation into many months of stress by making the choice to drive impaired,” state patrol chief Col. Matthew Packard said in a statement. “Even if you are fortunate to avoid a crash, the penalties associated with a DUI conviction are timely and costly.”
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