More Than 2.5 Million New Englanders Expected to Travel Over July 4 Holiday

Tuesday, June 25, 2019

GoLocalWorcester News Team

More than 2.5 million New England residents are expected to travel over the Independence Day holiday, according to a new survey by AAA Northeast.

Overall, AAA expects a record-breaking 48.9 million Americans will travel over the holiday.

“As Independence Day approaches, it’s time for the much-loved family road trip and this year will be one for the record books, with more Americans than ever planning vacations. This holiday builds on the strong travel demand seen for Memorial Day, and with schools now out of session across the country, families coast-to-coast are eager to travel,” said Lloyd Albert, Senior Vice President of Public and Government Affairs at AAA Northeast.

According to AAA, overall travel volume for the holiday is expected to rise 4.1% over last year, with an additional 1.9 million people planning road trips and other vacations to celebrate the Fourth of July.

Independence Day holiday travel, by mode

Automobiles: The vast majority of travelers – 41.4 million – will hit the road, the most on record for the holiday and 4.3% more than last year.
Planes: 3.96 million people will take to the skies, the highest number on record and 5.3% more than last year.
Trains, Buses and Cruise Ships: Travel across these sectors will increase by 0.6% to 3.55 million passengers.

Traffic Watch

For the 41.4 million Americans traveling by automobile this Independence Day, AAA, along with INRIX, projects that drivers will experience the greatest amount of congestion on Wednesday, July 3 as commuters mix with holiday travelers. In major metros, drivers could face delays as much as four times a normal commute.

INRIX’sTrevor Reed says, “With record-level travelers hitting the road this holiday, drivers must be prepared for delays around our major metros. Although travel times are expected to nominally increase throughout the week, hands down, Wednesday afternoon will be the worst time to be on the road.”