Beginning tomorrow (June 30) look for busy New England interstates when 89% of the region’s 2.7 million travelers drive this July 4 holiday, says AAA Northeast.
Another 179,000 New Englanders plan to fly while 105,000 will take some other mode of transportation when they usher in Independence Day.
For those venturing Northeastern roadways, the afternoons of June 30 and July 1 are expected to be peak traffic times and days for drivers in major metro areas. For airline travelers, July 1 will be the busiest air travel day with July 4 being the lightest.
Overall, nearly 48 million travelers – a nearly 4% increase over last year — will drive, fly or cruise 50 miles or more this year, said Mayko. Of this national total:
- 42 million or 88% will drive
- 3.5 million or 7% will fly and
- 2.4 million or 5% will take some other mode of transportation, such as cruises or trains.
Today (June 29), the national average for a gallon of self-serve regular is $4.87, 9 cents lower than this time last week and $1.76 higher than this time last year. On the state level, Connecticut’s average price is $4.84, 8 cents lower than this time last week and $1.72 higher than this time last year.
“Even though gas prices are declining, they are still high and historically they affect holiday travel volumes,” said Fran Mayko, AAA Northeast spokeswoman. “The recent dip in prices is certainly welcome news for travelers, and just as we saw with Memorial Day, there continues to be a pent-up demand to travel this holiday,” she added.