A record number of Texans will travel more than 50 miles from home this Independence Day, thanks in large part to the strong economy and longer holiday weekend.
“Three-point-four million total travelers, that's up 5.7 percent from last year, most of those people will be driving, 2.9 million,” says Daniel Armbruster, spokesman for AAA-Texas. “The one that went up the most this year was air travel, up about 8.2 percent.”
Armbruster says those hitting the road closer to the holiday should expect major traffic tie ups.
“Tuesday, July 3, 4:30pm-6:30pm, that's expected to be the worst time to try to travel here in Houston,” he says. “Plan around those peak times and if you can, have a backup route.”
“Whether you're going down to Galveston, maybe you're heading up to the Metroplex or somewhere outside of Texas, I-45 and I-10, those main arteries out of Houston are probably going to be congested.”
Gas prices are up roughly 60 cents over last year, averaging $2.69 a gallon in Houston, so a tank of gas will cost an extra $8,26 this Fourth of July.
Nationally, the most popular destinations this upcoming holiday are Disney resorts, Seattle, Alaska and Hawaii.