Memorial Day is the unofficial start of summer and also represents the beginning of summer travel. Nationwide, more than 42.3 million Americans are expected to travel this weekend between Thursday, May 25, and Monday, May 29, according to AAA. That’s an increase of 7% compared to 2022. For the I-70 Mountain Corridor, that means a lot of vehicles on the roadway. In May 2022, more than 227,000 vehicles traveled through the Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnel each weekend.
“This is expected to be the third busiest Memorial Day weekend since 2000,” said Paula Twidale, Senior Vice President of AAA Travel. “More Americans are planning trips and booking them earlier, despite inflation. This summer travel season could be one for the record books.”
Here are some valuable tips to make your travel plans a little easier:
- Travel at off-peak times – This helps spread traffic volumes more evenly throughout the weekend. Remember to avoid peak times! The I-70 Mountain Corridor operates a little differently than other highways with Friday, Saturday and Sundays having the highest volume times – opposite typical commuter traffic. Check out our Travel Forecast to learn the best and worst times to travel!
- Look before you drive – With higher traffic volumes and the introduction of summer recreationalists and camper trailers to the roadways, avoid incidents so they don’t eat up your valuable weekend time. Check real-time road info at Cotrip.org before hopping on the highway.
- Be weather-ready – As we approach summer, traveler behavior (even during long weekends) becomes very dependent on and responsive to weather. Make sure you stay up-to-date with the weather forecast before hitting the road.
Happy and safe travels this holiday weekend!