Traveling for the Fourth of July? Well, buckle up and brace yourself for traffic.
According to an AAA report, a record 48.9 million Americans are expected to travel for Independence Day this year. That number surpasses last year’s figure by nearly two million, a 4.1% increase.
The report projected that Boston will see 3.4 times the normal amount of traffic on Friday, July 5, between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. This is the second-highest projected spike in traffic among metro areas in the country during the holiday period, following the New York area.
The report added that the Boston area is expected to be the seventh-most-popular destination for the holiday. The top five projected destinations are Orlando, Honolulu, Seattle, Las Vegas and Anaheim, Calif.
Of the nearly 49 million expected travelers nationwide, 41.4 million will travel via automobile. That number will lead to record delays on roads around the country. It is expected that delays will increase by 9%, according to the AAA report.
One motivating factor for increased travel is lower gas prices, AAA said. The national average of $2.72 per gallon is 13 cents less than last year’s July 4th weekend average.
