Long lines and traffic? Fourth of July travel in NJ is projected to break records

☀ More Garden Staters than ever are traveling during the Fourth

☀ Long lines are expected at the airports

☀ Pack your patience for your upcoming holiday trip

This Fourth of July, more New Jersey residents than ever are packing up and ditching their hometowns for a holiday getaway.

AAA anticipates that the number of New Jerseyans that will travel at least 50 miles or more from home this Fourth of July will be over 1.3 million.

“That’s an increase of 4.4% over 2022 and the third highest number on record,” AAA Mid-Atlantic spokeswoman Tracy Noble said.

Stress brought on by the pandemic in recent years has made New Jersey residents that much more eager to take a vacation. That's why all modes of transportation will be experiencing heavy flows of traffic, whether that is on the highway or in the security line at the airport.

Hopping in the car?

According to AAA, the number of New Jersey residents driving to their holiday getaways this year will increase by 2% in comparison to last year. AAA predicts this number to be about 1.1 million.

“Air travel is actually going to be setting a record in New Jersey, as we have over 136,000 New Jerseyans flying to their holiday destination," Noble said.

This projected number is 13% higher than last year’s. It also happens to claim the title of the most New Jersey residents to fly during the Fourth of July.

To avoid the madness of the airport during the holiday, make sure that you arrive early. You are not the only one itching to flee New Jersey for the weekend.

What about gas prices?

New Jersey residents are still hitting the road despite high gas prices. However, this year’s price at the pump is much lower than last year’s.

“Today, the New Jersey average is $3.47 per gallon, which is not great compared to where we were at some points,” Noble said. “However, we look at it compared to last year, we were at $4.91 per gallon."

What about other forms of transportation?

Cars and planes are not the only transportation forms that New Jerseyans will be utilizing this Fourth of July.

“Every mode of transportation is up at least 2 percent,” Noble said.

AAA predicts that this year’s travel volume of other forms of transportation such as buses, trains, or cruises in New Jersey will increase by about 25% in correlation to 2022.

What about the rest of the country?

New Jersey is not the only state preparing for such a high magnitude of travel this Fourth of July. In fact, the whole country is assembling for a jam-packed holiday weekend.

AAA is predicting that throughout the whole country this holiday, about 50.7 million individuals will be traveling at least 50 miles or more. For cars specifically, AAA predicts that about 43.2 million Americans will be hitting the road.

Air travel is no different. According to AAA, an estimated 4.17 million people will be traveling via planes for the Fourth of July.

Other forms of transportation such as buses, trains, and cruises may not be breaking any records nationally, but will still be relatively high. The highest record for these modes of transportation still goes to 2019 with 3.54 million. However, AAA predicts that about 3.36 million individuals will be traveling via one of these three transportation methods.