Topeka ? For Thanksgiving holiday travelers, it will be more on the road again than over the river and through the woods to grandma’s house.

In some parts of the state, fewer state troopers may be working than during last year’s holiday period because of budget problems faced by the Kansas Highway Patrol.

Even so, law enforcement officials hope the recent trend of fewer traffic fatalities will continue during this year’s 102-hour holiday period that begins at 6 p.m. today.

The long holiday period is generally one of the heavier travel times in the state. Some travelers will go only a few miles; others will pass through the state to get to where they want to go.

Travelers can expect cold but clear days throughout most of the state. They also can expect to pay more for gasoline than a year ago.

According to AAA Kansas figures, the current average price for a gallon of unleaded regular is $1.34, compared to $1.10 a year ago. Nationally, the current average is $1.40 compared to $1.16 last year.

Kansas Turnpike spokeswoman Lisa Callahan said a 3 percent to 4 percent increase in traffic as compared to last year is expected on the 236-mile roadway from the Oklahoma border to Kansas City, Kan.

The Wednesday before Thanksgiving last year saw 124,000 vehicles on the turnpike and 109,000 vehicles the Sunday after the holiday, Callahan said. She said on an average day, the turnpike has 84,000 vehicles.

Callahan said there would be additional state troopers working the turnpike during the holiday. The 47 troopers assigned to the turnpike are paid by the Turnpike Authority rather than from the state budget.

But for the other troopers, there’s no extra pay this year in most cases for working the holiday because of the patrol’s tight budget, spokesman Lt. John Eichkorn said.

“We will be down from what we have been in past years we could offer the voluntary overtime,” Eichkorn said. “We will have our normal group out there, but in the past we have been able to provide additional troopers.”

Even so, he said, there still be scores of troopers patrolling the more than 9,600 miles of state roadways, looking for drivers who have been drinking and driving dangerously.

“People need to wear their seat belts and drive defensively,” Eichkorn said. “It doesn’t have to be you at fault in an accident to be killed or injured.”

Last Thanksgiving holiday, troopers arrested 50 people for driving under the influence. During last year’s holiday period, there were 944 accidents with four fatalities compared to nine deaths in 2000 and 12 in 1999.