The unofficial start to summer is here. And you know what that means. Barbecues! Hot dogs! Pools! (And rage-inducing traffic, oh boy!) While long, carefree holiday weekends are indeed fun, getting to where you want to be usually is not. And unfortunately, we can’t even rely on the ludicrous price of gas to deter people from hitting the road this weekend.
According to a post on the transportation data company INRIX’s website, “AAA predicts 39.2 million people will travel 50 miles or more from home this Memorial Day weekend. This is an increase of 8.3% over 2021, bringing travel volumes almost in line with those in 2017.”
“Even with a significant increase in gas prices, we expect a large jump in holiday driving compared to the last few years,” said Bob Pishue, a transportation analyst for INRIX.
Best and worst times to travel
The website listed the daily best and worst times to travel:
Thursday: Worst—1-8 p.m.; Best—Before 6 a.m. or after 9 p.m.
Friday: Worst—12-7 p.m.; Best—Before 7 a.m. or after 9 p.m.
Saturday: Worst—1-6 p.m.; Best—Before 10 a.m.
Sunday: Worst—1-4 p.m.; Best—Before 10 a.m.
Monday: Worst—1-4 p.m.; Best—Before 11 a.m.
Worst times to travel major metropolitan corridors
It further broke down the worst corridors and times to travel for several metropolitan areas including Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, and New York, among others.
Atlanta:
Worst corridor: I-85 South; Clairmont Rd to MLK Jr Dr;
Worst time: Thursday, 3:30-5:30 p.m.
Boston:
Worst corridor: I-93 S, Purchase St to MA-24;
Worst time: 2:30-4:30 p.m.
Chicago:
Worst corridor: I-290 E, IL-110 to Racine Ave;
Worst time: Thursday, 3:30-5:30 p.m.
Houston:
Worst corridor: I-69 North; I-610 to I-10;
Worst time
: Thursday, 4:45-6:45 p.m.
Los Angeles:
Worst corridor: I-5 South; Colorado St to Florence Ave;
Worst time: Friday, 4:45-6:45 p.m.
New York:
Worst corridor: I-278 W, Long Island Express to 39th St;
Worst time: Thursday, 3:15-5:15 p.m.
Washington, D.C.:
Worst corridor: I-95 South; I-395 to VA-123;
Worst time: Thursday, 3:45-5:45 p.m.
General guidelines
Of course, always expect delays and allow for extra time when traveling by car on a holiday weekend. Keep in mind that generally, the worst day to travel across the country is Thursday, May 26. Friday is another high congestion day, while Saturday, Sunday and Monday are less so. “There’s not a really bad travel time on (Memorial Day itself),” Pishue told USA Today. “(Traffic is) more spread throughout the day.”
“What we recommend is leaving generally before 6 or 7 in the morning, and on the weekend part of it—Saturday, Sunday, Monday—leaving before, you know, 10 or 11 (a.m.),” Pishue said.