A record number of Americans are expected to travel on Memorial Day weekend. This year, the weekends will be held from May 22nd to May 26th. The AAA predicts that 45.1 million Americans will travel domestically during the popular holiday period. This is an increase of 1.4 million people since last year.
According to Hertz, most travelers will do road trips to reach their final destination and arrive on the busiest day of car rental pickup.
Which of the following is the most backed up traffic during weekend trips? And how much time should a driver expect to spend on the road? Here, location data and technology company Technologies has gathered information about traffic and busy roads in 10 cities across the United States. From New York to Chicago to Los Angeles, this is expected to have traffic backed up during Memorial Weekend.
As of the most recent weekend, we reported here that traffic jams were the worst on San Francisco’s Central Freeway, Los Angeles Route 60, Chicago’s Kennedy Expressway, and New York’s Washington and Verazano Narrows Bridges.
Technology here tracks traffic congestion, road congestion, road closures and average speeds on the road. Of the 10 cities measured, Detroit experienced the biggest increase in weekend traffic congestion and congestion between April and May.
Compare city crowds between April and May
The New York Metro area has the most highways out of 10 measured cities. Between April and May this year, 62.6% of these highways experienced an increase in congestion. Los Angeles has nearly 3,000 highways. During the same period, 33% of highways increased congestion.
Roads to avoid during weekend holiday trips
Kyle Jackson, a leading data scientist at Here Technologies, told USA Today:
Expected time spent on transportation
It may not be surprising that New York and Los Angeles are the worst cities to drive during peak traffic hours on Friday. Here, technology tracked the total time it took to drive the entire road network in these cities. New York drivers spend the most extra time in traffic jams compared to nine other cities where traffic jams have been tracked.
When is Memorial Day traffic the worst? And when is there a best time to drive?
As always on holiday weekends, flexibility pays off and the morning is the best time to hit the road. Travelers must leave by noon on Thursday, May 22nd and Saturday, May 24th. Friday, May 23rd, the best time to start driving is before 11am.
To get back home, travelers must leave on Sunday, May 25th, before 1pm and Monday, May 26th, before 2pm.
“Memorial Day weekend holidays don’t have to be luxurious and costly,” Stacey Barber, vice president of AAA Travel, said in a press release. “Some travelers embark on their dream vacations and fly hundreds of miles across the country, but many families pack their cars and drive to the beach or go on road trips to visit friends. Long holiday weekends are perfect for travel.
Kathleen Wong’s contribution
