When Will Be the Worst Time to Travel This Memorial Day Weekend?

A long weekend is upon us and that means, statistically, you could be spending more time than you would like in traffic jams.

According to AAA, the jacked up gas prices across the nation will not stop folks from traveling this Memorial Day weekend. As a matter of fact, an estimated 36.6 million of the 41.5 million long weekend travelers are expected to hit the road via their automobiles.

That's a lot of vehicles on the road!

When hitting the road for the Memorial Day weekend festivities, chances are you could be sitting on the highways shaking your head wondering why you are not moving. Traffic is inevitable, but are there times that will decrease the amount of stop and go?

The fine folks of AAA say that traffic will be pretty awful during the late afternoon hours of Thursday and Friday. If you are heading from The Berkshires to the Boston area, Thursday between 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. will be the absolute worst stretch of driving during the stretch, according to AAA's predictions.

According to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, they agree with the afternoons being ultra-annoying in terms of traffic.

"The heaviest traffic is expected Thursday, Friday, and Monday afternoons and early evenings," says the MassDOT. "Drivers are encouraged to make travel plans accordingly and if possible avoid peak traffic volumes between 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. on those days."

On top of that, the MassDOT has singled out, at least in my view, what will be the most used highway, the Mass Pike, as arguably the biggest traffic issue we can expect this weekend.

"Traffic is especially heavy at the I-84 interchange at Exit 9 in Sturbridge on the Friday of Memorial Day weekend and at Exit 11A, I-495, which handles cars headed south to Cape Cod and north to New Hampshire and Maine," says the MassDOT.

If you are looking for that silver lining, one of the things that can add to travel times are those pesky road construction spots. Not to worry my traveling Berkshire County friends, that hurdle will not have to be leaped over this weekend.

"MassDOT will suspend all construction work on major arterial roadways from 12:00 p.m. Noon on Friday, May 24 through the start of normal business on Tuesday, May 28."

In conclusion, traffic will more than likely suck this weekend. However, if you head out on the road in the morning, or at night, it may not be as bad.

For those traveling this weekend, be safe and make sure you download the Live 95.9 app for those long stretches of traffic.