For the first time since 2001, more than one million Washington area residents are expected to head out of town for the July 4 holiday — according to a forecast from AAA Mid-Atlantic.

This will happen as gas prices reach an Independence Day price point not seen since the summer of 2008. Today’s national average gas price is about $3.68 per gallon, 20 cents more than the average on July 4, 2013.

Still, AAA Mid-Atlantic projects 1,002,200 people in the Washington metro area will travel 50 miles or more from home this weekend, a 2 percent increase from the roughly 983,000 people who got out of town last year.

Most of those travelers will travel by car (86.7 percent, according to AAA Mid-Atlantic.)

Why the uptick?

“Last year, political gridlock in Washington, D.C. had area residents second guessing themselves on whether to take a summer trip for the Independence Day holiday, but this year is a different story,” AAA Mid-Atlantic’s John Townsend said.

That national July 4 holiday travel projection is also about 2 percent more than last year.

For those sticking around Bethesda and Chevy Chase, check out various celebrations and fireworks displays scheduled for nearby.

Flickr photo by thisisbossi