Memorial Day Travel: Best, Worst Time To Leave In Chicago Area

ILLINOIS —Are you hitting the road for Memorial Day in the Chicago area — or just going to a barbecue or get-together? You'll have to pay a high price at the pump — it was $5.18 per gallon as of Friday afternoon in the Chicago area — and you'll probably hit traffic.

The worst of the worst times to be on the road was Thursday afternoon, when I-290 E, IL-110 to Racine Ave was expected to be the most congested area between 3:30 and 5:30 p.m. But what about Memorial Day itself?

The best time to travel on Monday, no matter where you are, is 11 a.m. local time, according to AAA. The worst time? Well, if you're going to an event earlier in the day, the worst time to hit the road is 1 to 4 p.m. local time, AAA advises.

That means, either leave early or leave late — but whatever you do, don't drink and drive. Police in the Chicago area are also stepping up patrols over Memorial Day weekend, as 7.7 million vehicles are expected on Illinois toll roads.

Higher Travel This Holiday Weekend

This year, Americans resurrecting the great Memorial Day road trip, with travel on U.S. roadways expected to reach 93 percent of pre-pandemic levels, according to the AAA Memorial Day Travel Forecast.

The travel group said about 35 million people will be competing for space on highways over the long holiday weekend, which begins Thursday and ends Monday, the official Memorial Day holiday and a day off for many Americans. In all, about 39.2 million people plan Memorial Day excursions.

Although travel is bouncing back, Americans’ wanderlust has been curbed to some extent by the highest inflation in four decades — especially for gas, food, lodging and airfare. While travel is expected to increase 8.3 percent over 2021, that’s only 93 percent of the travel volume in 2019, AAA said.

Also this Memorial Day weekend, according to AAA:

• The overwhelming majority of Americans — 35 million people — will travel on the nation’s highways, as is traditionally the case.

• Memorial Day air travel will be the highest since 2011, with about 3 million people — or about 7.7 percent of holiday travelers — expected to get on airplanes. That’s a 25 percent increase over 2021, when many since-lifted COVID-19 restrictions were in place.

• The number of people who plan to travel by bus or train, or take a cruise, is expected to triple this year to 1.3 million people.