These cities will see the biggest traffic delays on the 4th of July

Independence Day means many Americans will be heading out on the 4th of July to enjoy a vacation – but planning ahead might be the key to avoiding major traffic delays. 

AAA is predicting that it’s going to be the busiest year of Independence Day travel since the organization began tracking in 2000, with nearly 41.4 million people travelling by vehicle. With so many people about to hit the road, some cities will see nearly four times the delays on roads, according to data from INRIX, a global mobility analytics company. 

The holiday falls on a Thursday, which means many people will be trying to take a long weekend and lower gas prices may inspire more road trips. New York is expected to see the worst of the traffic on Wednesday, 3 July from 1:45 to 3:45 pm, which there could be 3.8 times the usual delay. Boston will be hard hit on Friday, 5 July, when between 10 am and 12 pm, traffic could be delayed 3.4 times the usual amount, while in Houston delays triple the norm will come on Independence Day from 1 to 3 pm. 

Los Angeles – already famous for its traffic – will see 2.7 times the delay on 3 July from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm. There are expected delays of 2.5 times the norm in Atlanta from 5 to 7 pm on 5 July, and in San Francisco from 1:30 to 2:30 pm. Across the board, 3 July is expected to be the worst day. 

“With record-level travelers hitting the road this holiday, drivers must be prepared for delays around our major metros,” said Trevor Reed, transportation analyst at INRIX, in a statement. “Although travel times are expected to nominally increase throughout the week, hands down, Wednesday afternoon will be the worst time to be on the road.”