Americans will travel 80 miles or more from home this Fourth of July, up more than 5 percent from last year, including the last 18 years. For the 39,7 million Americans planning a Fourth of July trip, INRIX, a global transportation analytics company, predicts that commute times in the most congested cities in the U.S. could be twice as long as on normal days.
“This Independence Day will be one of record-breaking times as more Americans hit the roads, fly through the skies, travel the rails and cruise the nation’s waterways than ever before,” said Bill Sutherland, senior vice president of AAA Travel and Publishing.
INRIX, in partnership with AAA, predicts that drivers will experience the worst congestion during the holiday week on Tuesday, July 3, especially in the afternoon as commuters leave work early and mix with vacationers. Travel times could double in major metropolitan areas across the U.S., with drivers in Los Angeles, New York City, and Washington, D.C., experiencing the longest delays.
