WASHINGTON, D. C. (Wednesday, May 23, 2018) –– Get this through your head! Tomorrow, May 24, from 4:30 P.M. to 7:00 P.M., is absolutely the worst day and time to be on the road in the Washington metro area during the busy Memorial Day holiday period, according to INRIX, in collaboration with AAA.  That’s when departing leisure travelers getting a jump on the holiday will intermix and intermingle on area roadways with commuters leaving work early. Trip times could triple. All told, 3.1 million persons residing in the Washington metro area, Maryland and Virginia will travel 50 miles or more during the Memorial Day travel period. The trouble is, the vast majority of them, almost nine out of every ten holiday travelers from the region, 2.8 million residents, will travel by automobile to their holiday weekend destinations. “Plan ahead!”

“Should I stay or should I go?” This holiday weekend 1,053,400 Washington area residents, one fifth of the area’s populace, will be hitting the highways, jamming the region’s three major airports, and causing travel delays to more than double, and in some cases, more than triple on major arterials in the region, as well as in major several other major metropolitan areas across the nation, explains INRIX.  Think what happens when “an unstoppable object collides with an immovable object,” and you’ll get the drift. “Have a plan ‘B!’”

“‘No matter where you go, there you are,’ as the old saying goes. That also means the worst time and the best time to travel will vary from place to place,” said John B. Townsend II, AAA Mid-Atlantic’s Manager of Public and Government Affairs. “Travel delays will mount on major roadways and multiply on escape routes in the Washington metro area, as people heading out of town on vacation find themselves stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic jams alongside rush-hour commuters who are staying put for the holiday period.”

  What are the best and worst time to go? Proving “misery loves company,” the worst chokepoints and delays will manifest themselves on US 50, heading over both the Severn River Bridge and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, along Interstate 270 (I-270), and up and down Interstate 95, says INRIX.  In the Washington, D.C. area, the worst time to travel is Thursday, May 24 from 4:30-7:00 p.m. when the traffic delay will be 2.3 times the normal travel time. That’s bad news for drivers heading to Ocean City and the beaches of Delaware from Washington, D.C. and environs. Some roads will be particularly more delayed than others. Travelers heading out US 50 W on May 28 at 5:45 p.m. will face delays of nearly 3.5 times the normal trip, which means a trip that would normally take 32 minutes would equate to nearly 2 and a half hours. Buckle up!

With over 36.6 million people driving to their holiday destinations nationwide, INRIX expects travel delays on major roads could be more than three times longer than normal, with the busiest days being Thursday (May 24) and Friday (May 25), as vacationers encounter standstill traffic on roadways crowded with commuters leaving the workplace earlier than usual.  In contrast, for the 938,800 people in the Washington, metro area traveling by automobile, area drivers will experience the greatest amount of congestion on Thursday, May 24 and Friday, May 25 – in the late afternoon as early birds punch the time clock only to sit in incessant and unforgiving traffic with outbound holiday travelers, INRIX forecasts. It behooves drivers to know the best time to travel the Bay Bridge this Memorial Day weekend. Travel off peak!

Based on historic patterns, road trippers in Virginia will encounter “periods of moderate to heavy congestion between noon and 6 p.m. on Friday and Monday, and during midday on Saturday and Sunday,” the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is forecasting. Holiday travelers will also run into “heavy congestion on Interstate 95 south and Interstate 64 east from Saturday morning to Saturday afternoon, and on I-95 north and I-64 west on Monday from around noon to late evening.” Take a break if you are drowsy!

“Ranked the most congested country in the world, U.S. drivers are all too familiar with sitting in traffic,” said Graham Cookson, Chief Economist and Head of Research, INRIX. “Drivers should expect congestion across a greater number of days than in previous years, with the getaway period starting on Wednesday, May 23. Our advice to drivers is to avoid peak commute times in major cities altogether – traveling late morning or early afternoon – or plan alternative routes.”

During the great holiday escape for Memorial Day, sub-optimal driving conditions like rain, road incidents or construction can significantly increase travel times and cause unforeseen delays, according to INRIX and AAA. People in Washington, D.C., as well as residents throughout the national capital area, like to leave town for holiday weekends, explains INRIX, and they like to leave town early. “Put safety first!”

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AAA provides automotive, travel and insurance services to 57 million members nationwide and nearly 78,000 members in the District of Columbia.  AAA advocates for the safety and mobility of its members and has been committed to outstanding road service for more than 100 years.  The not-for-profit, fully tax-paying member organization works on behalf of motorists, who can now map a route, find local gas prices, discover discounts, book a hotel and track their roadside assistance service with the AAA Mobile app for iPhone, iPad and Android. For more information, visit  https://aaa.com