The Memorial Day holiday weekend travel crush is expected to begin Thursday, with the Auto Club of Southern California predicting 3.6 million area residents to head out of town for the extended break.
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According to the Auto Club, the number of people expected to travel at least 50 miles from home between Thursday and Monday is 1% higher than last year, and 8.1% higher than the pre-pandemic year 2019.
“Southern Californians continue to make travel a priority as we head into the unofficial start of summer,” Kandace Redd of the Auto Club said in a statement. “Even with higher fuel prices, travel demand remains strong, so drivers should plan ahead, expect busy roads and make safety their top priority.”
Of the Southern California residents traveling, the vast majority — 2.9 million — are expected to drive to their locations, despite soaring gas prices pushed upward by the continuing war with Iran. Roughly 388,000 people are expected to travel by plane, while 279,000 will travel by other means, such as bus, train or cruise ship.
For people planning to drive to their destinations, the transportation-analytics firm INRIX said the heaviest congestion on Southern California roads is expected between 3 and 6 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Monday. The busiest routes in Southern California are expected to be the eastbound 10 Freeway heading toward Palm Springs and Phoenix, which is predicted to be 88% more congested than normal on Friday.
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Travel time from Los Angeles to Palm Springs on Friday afternoon is expected to average about 4.4 hours, according to INRIX, while reaching Phoenix could take about 8.6 hours. Traveling from Los Angeles to Las Vegas on Friday evening will take 5.7 hours, roughly 38% longer than usual.
The best times to travel, according to INRIX, are after 9 p.m. Thursday, before 11 a.m. Friday and Saturday, and Monday before 10 a.m.
Nationally, 45 million people are expected to travel for the holiday weekend, with 39.1 million of them traveling by car.
Top destinations nationally are expected to be Orlando, Florida; Seattle; New York; Las Vegas; and Miami.
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