We’re in the thick of the holiday travel rush and that means highways are going to get busier than normal as we get ready to celebrate Independence Day.
“We’re expecting to potentially break records this holiday week,” said Mark Schieldrop, a AAA Northeast spokesperson.
AAA says more than 70 million people are expected to travel for the Fourth of July, with nearly two million of them in Massachusetts alone.
“When the weather is good, we see more spontaneous travel. People look out the window, they say, ‘You know what? Do we really want to sit around all day? let’s get in the car and go,'” said Schieldrop.
So, when are the best and worst times to hit the road?
Wednesday and Thursday between 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. is when we’re expecting to see the biggest volumes. If you can get going before noon, that’ll be your best time to travel.
Then on Friday, 11a.m. through 4 p.m. will likely be busy, while travel before 10 a.m. is recommended.
Taylor Yeley, who’s traveling to New Hampshire, said, “My work gave us off at 2 p.m. today, so I’m hopefully going to beat the traffic there. I’m not too worried. I feel like most people go to the Cape, so we’re going the opposite way.”
You can expect traffic jams in your typical trouble spots, but according to AAA, peak congestion will be from Boston to Hyannis, traveling down Route 3 on July 4th.
“Going to go to Yarmouth after work, so I’ll probably get stuck in four hours-worth of traffic,” said Cole Bagley said. “Just accepting it, kind of used to it by now…pack some snacks, extra waters and then good music, that’s about it.”
Honestly, they’ve got a great attitude, but maybe check back with them in a few hours!
