Millions Hitting The Roads, Rails And Skies For Memorial Day Weekend

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- By air, train, bus or car, this Memorial Day weekend is expected to be one of the busiest for travel in the last 12 years.

AAA estimates that about 34.6 million Americans will be taking long car trips away from home this weekend.

Memorial Day Weekend: Traffic | Transit | Forecast | Events

Air travel comes in second with nearly three million people expected to fly, up nearly six percent. Buses, trains and ferries make up for the rest of the weekenders trying to get away with 1.75 million.

Despite the fact that gas prices nationally are 11 cents per gallon higher than they were last year, AAA says an improving economy is one of the reasons for an increase in travel.

"People have lots of extra money in their pocket, unemployment is down, household net worth is up," AAA's Robert Sinclair told WCBS 880's Marla Diamond.

Many drivers were already on the road Friday.

"We're having a good time, we've been married 35 years and we just have a good time when we're traveling," Julie from Michigan told 1010 WINS' Glenn Schuck.

"Long Island Expressway is just really, really terrible with traffic," another man told CBS2's Magdalena Doris. "Try not to drive, but Memorial Day weekend we go everywhere."

For others, staying home is the better option.

"Actually, the traffic was better for me," one driver said. "I'm coming home from work now."

"Memorial Day weekend is the worst time to travel," another woman said. "It's just congestion and I don't even want to deal with that."

Repair crews on New York state highways are taking a break over the holiday weekend.

Road and bridge construction projects on state highways will be suspended from 6 a.m. Friday through 6 a.m. Tuesday. State officials say some work may continue behind concrete barriers or for emergency repairs.

If you're taking the rails, Metro-North will have 17 extra getaway trains leaving from Grand Central Terminal between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Friday and one extra train from Hoboken on the Port Jervis line.

The Long Island Rail Road is also adding 10 extra trains from Penn Station on Friday.

(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

In:
• Magdalena Doris