Memorial Day Weekend Travel: These Are The Best, Worst Times To Leave NYC By Car

NEW YORK CITY — Memorial Day is just around the corner and the holiday is historically one of the busiest travel days of the year.

According to The American Automobile Association(AAA), around 45 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles from home for Memorial Day between Thursday, May 21 and Monday, May 25.

This year’s domestic travel forecast is slightly higher than last year and sets a new Memorial Day weekend record with 39.1 million people traveling by car.

New Yorkers traveling by car will want to be on the road during certain times of the day while avoiding peak congestion.

INRIX, a provider of transportation data and insights, said that drivers should expect the heaviest congestion on Thursday and Friday between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m., as well as Monday afternoon.

Sunday should be the lightest day for traffic, barring any unexpected events on the road.

On Thursday, the best time to travel by car is after 9 p.m., for Friday and Saturday the best time to travel is before 11 a.m.

On Monday, 10 a.m. is the best time travel by car.

The worst times to travel by car on Thursday are between noon and 9 p.m.

For Friday, the worst times are between 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. Drivers should avoid the roads between noon and 5 p.m. on Saturday and Monday.