With the holiday weekend arriving, roads are expected to see heavy traffic on Friday as people make their way to their Fourth of July destinations.
Travel company AAA has predicted that road traffic on this year's holiday weekend will smash records, with more than 43 million people expected to drive their car to their destination. That's an increase of 2.4% compared to 2022, and 4% higher than 2019.
WATCH ANYTIME FOR FREE
 |
Stream NBC10 Boston news for free, 24/7, wherever you are. |
One factor fueling this drive are lower gas prices compared to a year ago. AAA reports that the national average for a gallon of regular was $4.80 at this time last year. That price is now about $3.50.
Get updates on what's happening in Boston to your inbox. Sign up for our News Headlines newsletter.
Travel experts recommend starting your road trip early, because by 10 a.m. and until 5 or 6 p.m., long lines and backed up roads are anticipated. Inrix, a traffic data company, predicts that the busiest hour to be on the road in the Boston area and especially on Route 3 south will be 11 a.m.
Meanwhile, if you opt to leave on Saturday to avoid the Friday rush on the roads, experts say to leave the house before noon.
“We’ve never projected travel numbers this high for Independence Day weekend,” Mary Maguire, Vice President of Public and Government Affairs for AAA Northeast said in a news release earlier this week. “More than 1.4 million Massachusetts residents will be among those traveling, 1.2 million of us by car. Both mirror the national trends and are higher than the number of travelers and drivers from a year ago.”
AAA reports that demand for travel has been on the rise since 2020.
