Record numbers of travelers expected to be on the roads, rails and in the air after the July 4 weekend in the United States
AAA estimates that more than 70 million people drive 50 miles or more over the long holiday weekend, with the vast majority driving home on Sunday.
The busiest travel day of the season could be compounded by AMTRAK’s shutdown yesterday and the ongoing closure of the Sumner Tunnel.
A power outage forced Amtrak to shut down service between Penn Station in New York and South Station for most of the day yesterday. Normal service resumed around 9:45 p.m. last night, but it really disrupted people’s travel plans.
“I’m devastated. A little bit. But I know these things happen and it’s out of our control, but I want to go home. But I have to go back to where I came from now,” said Marlane Jones
AAA also says the worst time to drive today is between 2pm and 8pm. The best time is before 11pm and tomorrow you’ll want to avoid the roads between 1pm and 5pm. It’s best to leave after 7pm.
Gas prices are about 3 cents cheaper than this time last year, averaging about $3.50, or nearly thirty cents less than gas prices in Newton, MA.
About 3.7 million people are also expected to fly Sunday and Monday, followed by about 3.5 million people returning home Tuesday, Hopper said.
Meanwhile, the Sumner Tunnel is closed for the second summer in a row. It closed at midnight Friday and will remain closed until August 5 for a $160 million renovation project.
About 39,000 motorists use the tunnel each day, especially residents from the city’s north end who need to travel to or from Logan Airport. The state Department of Transportation is encouraging people to take public transit instead.
During the closure, the T, commuter bus and ferry are either discounted or free.
