July 4th 2024: When To Travel In The NY Metro Area

NEW YORK — The week of July Fourth will be the busiest ever, according to auto club AAA.

If you’re among the 70.9 million Americans expected to travel 50 or more miles from home for an extra-long holiday weekend, AAA offered advance notice on when to get out of the Hudson Valley or Long Island and, especially, when to avoid the heaviest-traveled road over the holiday in the metro region — the Garden State Parkway.

For its travel forecast, AAA looked at the entire July 4th week, plus the Saturday before and the Sunday after the holiday, for the first time. It found: This year’s projected number of travelers for that time period is a 5 percent increase compared to 2023 and an 8 percent increase over 2019.

“With summer vacations in full swing and the flexibility of remote work, more Americans are taking extended trips around Independence Day,” Paula Twidale, Senior Vice President of AAA Travel, said in the forecast.

Most people will drive — 2.8 million travelers more than last year, AAA said.

The best times to travel by car are in the morning or evening after 6 p.m., AAA said.

“Road trips over the holiday week could take up to 67 percent longer than normal,” said Bob Pishue, a transportation analyst at INRIX, AAA’s data partner in the forecast. “Travelers should monitor 511 services, local news stations, and traffic apps for up-to-the-minute road conditions.”

Here is more analysis from AAA:

• The worst traffic delays will be on Wednesday and Sunday
• The best travel times Tuesday through Sunday will be in the early morning.
• Afternoons Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday will be among the worst travel times.
• Traffic will be bad Friday between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. and between 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Saturday
• Travelers returning on Monday, July 8th should avoid rush hour traffic. The best travel time will be after 8 p.m.

Gas prices are still lower than last year, but fluctuating as the cost of oil crossed the $80 per barrel mark, putting upward pressure on pump prices.

“Summer got off to a slow start last week with low gas demand,” said Andrew Gross, AAA spokesperson. “But with a record 60 million travelers forecast to hit the road for the July 4th holiday, that number could pop over the next ten days. But will oil stay above $80 a barrel, or will it sag again? Stay tuned.”

The average price for gas in Nassau and Suffolk counties was $3.509 as of Monday, compared to $3.686 last year, AAA reported.

As for the Hudson Valley, the average price in the White Plains metro area was $3.719, compared to $3.753 last year. The average price in Dutchess/Putnam counties was $3.629, compared to $3.703 in 2o23, according to the AAA. The average price in the Kingston metro area was $3.510, compared to $3.677 last year.

The holiday could be also one of the busiest at the nation’s airports. AAA said its booking data shows a 7 percent increase in bookings to this year’s top destinations. “Airports will be packed throughout the week. AAA recommends arriving 2 hours early, reserving parking ahead of time, and traveling with carry-on luggage versus checked bags to save time and money. ”