ORANGE, Connecticut — Travelers getting a head start on the 4th of July weekend travel were faced with rainy weather and wet roadways. As the holiday nears, they will have extra company on the roads. AAA is expecting a record number of New Englanders to hit the roads for the holiday.
AAA estimates nearly 2.5 million New Englanders will travel over the next several days with more than 90 percent of that on the roads.
Jonathan Ortiz from Chicopee, Massachusetts is getting ready for a trip to Myrtle Beach this holiday weekend, but he has a plan to beat the traffic.
“Just hoping driving at nighttime, we’ll be able to avoid some of the stuff and get there kind of quick so at least trying to make it to like five in the morning, just drive through the night," Ortiz said.
He is happy to get back on the road again after the pandemic lockdowns.
“Now that things are starting to open up more, I figure, trying to get back out there and make up for all the lost time,” Ortiz said.
Travel is expected to increase by nearly 25 percent compared to last year according to AAA.
Paul Zimarowski from Pennsylvania also passing through Connecticut after a trip to Maine, but he had a different idea on how to avoid the traffic.
“One of the things was, if we’re going to do it in the summer, let’s avoid the 4th of July weekend just cause of all that travel and we figured we’ll start our vacation the week prior to that, end it right before."
If you're getting ready to travel, AAA says it's important to plan ahead.
"Make sure that vehicle is good to go and then if possible, you also want to leave at off-hours. We know there is going to be a lot of traffic Friday afternoon and Monday afternoon upon the return," Amy Parmenter with AAA Allied Group said.
Drivers FOX61 spoke with said there wasn't too much traffic Thursday, but if you're planning on heading out Friday, AAA says the best time to travel is before noon and the worst time is between 4-5 p.m.
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