The forecast for travel during the upcoming Fourth of July holiday is simple: more traffic.
In fact, AAA is forecasting 46.9 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more away from their homes, and most of them will be driving. That’s a 5 percent increase over last year and the most since AAA started tracking July 4th travel 18 years ago. And, AAA said to expect the Tuesday before the holiday to be the busiest.
AAA considers July 4th holiday travel time to extend to Sunday, July 8.
The company forecasts that 39.7 million Americans will drive to their destinations during the holiday weekend. AAA also says congestion is expected to be at its worst in major metropolitan areas as holiday travelers converge with commuters.
“This Independence Day will be one for the record books, as more Americans take to the nation’s roads, skies, rails and waterways than ever before,” Bill Sutherland, senior vice president of AAA Travel and Publishing, said in a statement from the company. “Confident consumers with additional disposable income will look to spend on travel this holiday, building on an already busy summer travel season.”
