Roads and highways will be busy around Kansas this Memorial Day Weekend.

AAA Kansas projects 37.2 million Americans will journey 50 miles or more from home during the Memorial Day holiday weekend, a 4.7 percent increase over last year and the highest volume since 2005. Nearly eighty-nine percent of travelers, 33 million, will travel by automobile, an increase of 5.3 percent from the 31.3 million who traveled by automobile last year, and the largest growth seen in five years.

The expected rise in car travel is driven by factors that include rising consumer optimism brought on by improving finances, increased purchasing power and lower gas prices.

In Kansas, drivers will pay the lowest Memorial Day gas prices since 2009, when the Kansas average was about $2.35. This week’s average is about $2.50, which is 94 cents, or 27 percent lower than the Kansas average price of $3.44 for Memorial Day last year.

The Memorial Day holiday travel period is defined as the 5-day period starting today through Monday, May 25th.