Freeways are jammed as travelers hit the roads ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday in Chicago, Illinois, on November 21, 2023. (Photo by Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images)
PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — The region is expected to not only return to but surpass pre-pandemic holiday travel levels. AAA.
AAA predicts this year will be the second-busiest Memorial Day travel season since it began tracking the numbers in 2000.
“For the past few years, the standard of comparison has been that we're getting closer and closer to where we were pre-pandemic,” said Ryan Adcock of AAA Tidewater.
Holiday traffic has been slowly picking up since the pandemic era, poised to pack in the entire summer travel season: For Memorial Day weekend, AAA expects Virginia to see 1.2 million travelers, with the vast majority of them getting behind the wheel.
Gasoline prices in Hampton Roads were hovering around $3.40 per gallon as of Thursday, slightly below the national average. The state average was $3.47 per gallon, and the national average was around $3.62 per gallon.
The area is well known for its traffic jams and bridge tunnel congestion even in normal times. Mr Adcock is therefore urging drivers to leave early in the morning to avoid rush hours and avoid crowds. Still, he urges travelers to plan extra driving time.
“Especially here, you'll have people traveling for the weekend as well as people commuting to work,” Adcock said. “That means we have pretty heavy traffic conditions here in general, plus the holiday traffic mixed in, which can create potentially long travel times.”
If you're flying this weekend, Adcock recommends getting to the airport earlier than usual. This means planning extra time to secure security lines and deal with traffic on your way there.
