Best And Worst Times To Leave IL For Memorial Day Weekend

The highest gas prices in nearly four years aren’t stopping people from hitting the road during what’s expected to be a record Memorial Day travel period — and when you get out of Illinois matters if you want to avoid travel bottlenecks.

Leaving at the right time won’t just save you from frustration. Stop-and-go traffic reduces fuel efficiency by 10 percent to 40 percent, and with Illinois paying an average of $5.01 for a gallon of regular gasoline on Thursday, that can make traveling even more expensive.

In its Memorial Day Weekend travel forecast, AAA said a record 45 million Americans are expected to travel 50 or more miles from home for Memorial Day Weekend, Most of them — 39.1 million — will be driving. All modes of travel are expected to increase this year.

According to AAA, Chicago is ranked the No. 8 Memorial Day weekend travel destination domestically. Orlando, Florida comes in at No. 1, while Rome, Italy, is the hot spot to go internationally.

The transportation analytics company INRIX predicts some of the worst Memorial Day Weekend traffic will hit major metro corridors Thursday and Friday afternoons, with several routes expected to see travel times nearly double.

Chicago will hit its peak congestion point at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, along Interstate 94 East. Travelers from Milwaukee into the Windy City at that time can expect an estimated travel time of three hours, five seconds. This indicates a 48 percent increase compared to typical travel along the route.

More generally, here are the best and worst travel times throughout the long holiday weekend:

Thursday, May 21

Worst: noon-9 p.m.; best: after 9 pm.

Friday, May 22

Worst: 11 a.m.-8 p.m.; best: before 11 a.m.

Saturday, May 23

Worst: noon-5 p.m.; best: before 11 a.m.

Sunday, May 24

Minimal traffic disruption expected

Monday, May 25

Worst, noon-5 p.m.; best, before 11 a.m.