MA July 4 Travel Forecast: MassDOT Predicts Best Time To Drive

MASSACHUSETTS — If you haven't left for your July 4 break yet, you might want to go now — or sometime before Wednesday.

MassDOT has issued its July 4 travel forecast, advising residents that Wednesday will likely be the busiest day to drive in Massachusetts ahead of the holiday. This year's Independence Day travel rush is expected to be the busiest in many years, according to AAA, and will come right before the Sumner Tunnel closes for a month on July 5.

"With the upcoming July 4 holiday approaching, we’re encouraging drivers to plan ahead and make use of MassDOT resources when planning holiday travel," MassDOT Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver said in a news release.

While July 3 is expected to be the busiest travel day overall, it'll just be generally busy throughout the week. Other busy times will include the mornings of July 4 and July 6, and during the midday hours on July 5 and 7, MassDOT said.

To make things a bit easier, the I-93 Boston-to-Quincy HOV lane will open early at 2 p.m. on July 2, and 1 p.m. on July 3. The HOV lane will not open on either July 4 or 5. MassDOT will also suspend all non-emergency roadwork between Tuesday morning and 9 p.m. on July 8.

It's not just the roads. The T will operate subway lines on a modified Saturday schedule on July 4 until 3 p.m., but will operate on a regular schedule after that. All buses and the Silver Line will operate on a Sunday schedule, and Commuter Rail will operate on a weekend schedule.

For anyone planning to travel to Boston for the annual Boston Pops concert and fireworks, all T modes will be fare-free after 9:30 p.m. The last Commuter Rail trains leaving North and South stations will be held for 30 minutes after the fireworks end before departing.

Anyone heading to Logan Airport should use public transportation or Logan Express, MassDOT advised. Drivers should consider a two-hour buffer when traveling to Logan.

Also remember, all state offices, including the RMV, will be closed on July 4. Online transactions will still be available.