Travelers Hitting The Road In Record Numbers For Memorial Day Weekend
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – The holiday weekend is here, and Americans are expected to hit the road in record numbers.
A lot of drivers left town last night, and many are leaving early this morning.
MORE: Heaviest Memorial Day Traffic Ever Forecast For This Weekend
Travel experts say drivers will see their travel times double.
An estimated 1.5 million more people are heading out of town for Memorial Day weekend compared to last year.
WEB EXTRA – AAA's Robert Sinclair shares some insights on times and tactics to beat the holiday rush:
AAA says nearly 43 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more between Thursday and Monday.
The company reports 3.25 million travelers will fly – up five percent from last year. But the overwhelming majority – 37.6 million – will drive, setting a record for the holiday.
"The bad roads in our area will be the Garden State Parkway, the Belt Parkway east and westbound, I-95 and the Merritt Parkway, so avoid those times," Robert Sinclair, manager of media relations for AAA Northeast, told CBSN New York. "Usually we see (gas) prices peak sometime in June, July, August. That seems to have shifted in the last few years. Prices are actually cheaper than they were last year… $2.90s in Connecticut, Long Island and New Jersey."
Experts say the best time to travel is between 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. today.