Traveling during Memorial Day weekend? Maps show where traffic could be the worst
A record number of Americans are expected to travel over Memorial Day weekend ‒ a kick-start to a season synonymous with vacationing. This year, the holiday weekend will take place from May 22 to May 26. AAA predicts 45.1 million Americans to travel domestically during the popular holiday period – an increase of 1.4 million from last year.
The majority of travelers will be taking a road trip to reach their final destination, with the busiest day for rental car pickups expected to be Friday, May 23, according to Hertz.
Where will traffic be the most backed up during weekend travel? And how much extra time should drivers expect to spend on the road? HERE Technologies, a location data and technology company, collected information on traffic and congested roadways in 10 cities throughout the United States. From New York to Chicago to Los Angeles, here's where traffic is expected to be backed up during Memorial weekend:
As of recent weekends, traffic congestion has been the worst on the Central Freeway in San Francisco as well as Route 60 in Los Angeles, the Kennedy Expressway in Chicago, and the Washington and Verrazano-Narrows bridges in New York, HERE Technologies reported.
HERE Technologies tracks traffic jams, roadway congestion, roadways closed and average speed on the road. Of the 10 cities measured, Detroit experienced the largest increase in weekend traffic jams and congestion between April and May.
Comparing congestion in cities between April and May
The New York metro area has the most highways of the 10 cities measured. Between April and May of this year, 62.6% of those highways experienced increased congestion. Los Angeles has close to 3,000 highways. During the same period, 33% of highways had an increase in congestion.
Roadways to avoid during weekend holiday travel
Kyle Jackson, Principal Data Scientist at HERE Technologies, told USA TODAY, "drivers should watch out for the traffic impact of recent road closures such as on the Pacific Coast Highway in Los Angeles, I-10 in Phoenix, and the Kennedy Expressway in Chicago."
Anticipated time spent in traffic
It may come as no surprise that New York and Los Angeles are the worst cities to be driving in during peak traffic times on a Friday. HERE Technologies tracked the total time it would take to drive the entire road network in these cities. Drivers in New York spend the most extra hours in congestion compared to the other nine cities where traffic congestion was tracked.
When is memorial day traffic the worst and when is the best time to drive?
As usual with holiday weekends, flexibility pays off and the best time to hit the road is in the morning. On Thursday, May 22, and Saturday, May 24, travelers should leave before noon. On Friday, May 23, the optimal time to start driving is before 11 a.m.
For returning home, travelers should leave before 1 p.m. on Sunday, May 25, and before 2 p.m. on Monday, May 26.
"Memorial Day weekend getaways don't have to be extravagant and costly,' said Stacey Barber, vice president of AAA Travel, in a press release. "While some travelers embark on dream vacations and fly hundreds of miles across the country, many families just pack up the car and drive to the beach or take a road trip to visit friends. Long holiday weekends are ideal for travel because many people have an extra day off work and students are off from school."
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