WORCESTER – Ahead of the upcoming Memorial Day weekend, traffic is expected to be at its peak on the holiday itself –Monday, May 27 — across Massachusetts — with one million Bay State residents expected to travel over the holiday.
According to AAA, traffic will be at its highest on Monday from 3:45 PM to 5:45 PM with an anticipated 908,000 Massachusetts residents driving during the holiday rush contributing to three times the amount of typical traffic.
“Americans are eagerly anticipating the start of summer, and expensive gas prices won’t keep them home this Memorial Day weekend,” said Mary Maguire, Director of Public and Legislative Affairs at AAA Northeast. “Consumer spending remains strong, helped by solid job and income growth. Families continue to prioritize spending their disposable incomes on travel, and near-record numbers of them are looking forward to doing just that for Memorial Day.”
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“Drivers in the most congested metros should expect much worse conditions than normal,” said Trevor Reed, transportation analyst, INRIX. “Travelers should anticipate delays to start on Wednesday and continue through Memorial Day. Our advice to drivers is to avoid the morning and evening commuting times or plan alternate routes.”
By the numbers: 2019 Memorial Day holiday travel forecast
- Massachusetts: For the first time, one million Bay State residents are expected to travel, more than 908,000 by car.
- Automobiles: The vast majority of travelers – 37.6 million – will hit the road, the most on record for the holiday and 3.5% more than last year.
- Planes: 3.25 million people will take to the skies, 4.8% more than last year, second only to 2005.
- Trains, Buses and Cruise Ships: Travel across these sectors will increase by 3.8% to 1.9 million passengers.
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