Labor Day 2024 Travel: Best And Worst Times To Get Out Of Philadelphia

PENNSYLVANIA – Residents of the Philadelphia area taking a Labor Day road trip can get their long weekend off to a good start by avoiding certain times when traffic is expected to be heavier than usual.

Thursday and Friday afternoons and evenings will see the most traffic congestion, transportation data provider INRIX said in AAA’s Labor Day travel trends report. Either morning is better, but people leaving on the weekend should wait until Saturday afternoon.

People who are returning home on either Sunday or Monday should leave as early as possible to avoid heavy afternoon traffic, INRIX said.

Overall, here are the worst and best times to travel by car this weekend:

Worst Times

• Thursday: 1-7:30 p.m.
• Friday: 2-6 p.m.
• Saturday: 8-11 a.m.
• Sunday: 2-8 p.m.
• Monday: 11 a.m.-8 p.m.
• Tuesday: 8 a.m.-12 p.m. noon

Best Times

• Thursday: before 11 a.m.
• Friday: before noon, after 7 p.m.
• Saturday: after 12 p.m noon
• Sunday: before 12 p.m. noon
• Monday: before 10 a.m.
• Tuesday: after 1 p.m.

If you’re traveling out of the Philly metro, INRIX is predicting that the heaviest traffic will be late Thursday afternoon on the Atlantic City Expressway headed to parts of the Jersey Shore, and early Friday evening on I-95 towards Baltimore and Washington.

Congestion on the AC Expressway is expected to be the worst on Thursday at about 4:15 p.m., with drivers spending about 15 percent longer on the road (an extra 20 minutes in traffic). For those headed east on 95, traffic is expected to be the heaviest Friday around 5:30 p.m., where drivers will spend an extra 30 minutes in the car (a 25 percent longer trip).

The heaviest traffic on the way back into Philly will be Monday around 8:30 p.m. for those returning from the Poconos via the Pennsylvania Turnpike and I-476, INRIX data shows. These drivers may spend upwards of 3 hours in the car, as their trip is predicted to take 35 percent longer.

Traffic will also be slow on the way back from Rehoboth Beach, as INRIX expects the most congestion around 4:30 p.m. Monday.

Pennsylvania drivers can also check out the latest AAA data on gas prices here.