Memorial Day traffic: Best and worst times to travel in NYC area
Vehicles travel along the Garden State Parkway South towards Ocean City, New Jersey, U.S., on Saturday, Aug. 1, 2020. From California's wine country to Colorado's ski towns and Floridas beaches, American cities that built their economies around touri
NEW YORK CITY - If you thought last year's holiday traffic was a bumper-to-bumper nightmare, brace yourself. AAA is predicting that this will be the busiest Memorial Day for travel on record.
Before you fire up the GPS and willingly merge into the Jersey Shore and Hamptons gridlock, here is your definitive guide to the best and worst times to hit the road this long weekend.
Best and worst travel times
What we know:
An estimated 45 million Americans will journey 50 miles or more from May 21 to 25 this year, with 39.1 million expected to travel by car.
Experts predict that drivers will experience the greatest congestion during the afternoon on Thursday, May 21, and Friday, May 22, as afternoon rush hour mixes with the mass exodus of weekend vacationers.
Best times to travel by car:
- Thursday, May 21: After 9 p.m.
- Friday, May 22: Before 11 a.m.
- Saturday, May 23: Before 11 a.m.
- Sunday, May 24: Minimal traffic
- Monday, May 25: Before 10 a.m.
Worst times to travel by car
- Thursday, May 21: Noon to 9 p.m.
- Friday, May 22: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- Saturday, May 23: Noon to 5 p.m.
- Sunday, May 24: Minimal traffic
- Monday, May 25: Noon to 5 p.m.
NYC travel
Dig deeper:
The absolute worst time to escape the New York City area is Friday, May 22, at 2:15 p.m. Travelers heading toward the Jersey Shore on the Garden State Parkway could face a 102% increase in traffic.
The Source: Information from this article was provided by AAA.