NEW JERSEY — With the Independence Day holiday fast approaching, more Americans and New Jersey residents are expected to hit the road or take to the skies for a trip than last year, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA).
Nearly 70.9 million travelers – including more than two million from New Jersey – are expected to travel 50 miles or more from home by Sunday, July 7. That’s a 5% increase from 2023 and an 8% increase from 2019.
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“Summer vacations are in full swing, and with the flexibility of remote work, more Americans are taking extended trips around Independence Day,” said Shani Jarvis, AAA Northeast’s chief outreach officer. “We expect the Fourth of July week to be our busiest ever, with 5.7 million more people traveling than in 2019.”
Car trip
A record 60.6 million people, including more than 1.6 million New Jerseyans, will travel by car during the week of Independence Day. That’s 2.8 million more travelers than last year.
If you’re driving, AAA warns that the worst traffic delays are expected Wednesday, July 3, when travelers leave the city, and Sunday, July 7, when they return.
Overall, here are the worst and best times to travel during the five-day period.
Tuesday July 2nd
- Worst time: 2pm-7pm
- Best time: before noon
Wednesday July 3
- Worst time: 2pm-7pm
- Best time: before noon
Thursday July 4th
- Worst time: 11am-4pm
- Best time: Before 10am
Friday July 5th
- Worst time: 10:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
- Best time: Before 10am
Saturday July 6th
- Worst time: 2pm-8pm
- Best time: before 11am
Sunday July 7th
- Worst time: 1-5pm
- Best time: After 7 p.m.
Gas prices
On Tuesday, the average price of gasoline in New Jersey was $3.42, according to AAA.
If you’re hitting the road, check out these 10 cheapest gas prices in New Jersey, according to gasbuddy.com:
- Exxon, 11 NJ-10E, Succasunna – $3.03
- Lukoil, 48 NJ-10W, Succasunna – $3.04
- Fuel 4,971 US-46W, Kenvil – $3.04
- Fuel 10.65 NJ-10E, Succasunna – $3.04
- Star Fuel, 1174 US-46E, Ledgewood – $3.04
- US Gas, 911 High St., Burlington – $3.07
- Costco, 2835 Route 35N, Hazlet – $3.09
- Liberty, 58 US 130S, Burlington – $3.09
- Delta, 747 US 46W, Kenvil – $3.09
- Fuel4, 2 NJ 36, Keansburg – $3.09
Flight
Air travel is also expected to set a new record with more than 182,000 New Jerseyans out of the 5.74 million Americans who will fly to their Fourth of July destinations. The number of domestic air travelers represents an increase of nearly 7% from last year and 12% from 2019.
“With airports expected to be crowded throughout the week, AAA recommends arriving two hours before your flight, reserving parking in advance and traveling with carry-on bags rather than checked bags to save time and money,” according to AAA.
