Mass. — The countdown is on to the Fourth of July--but some people have already decided that they are going to start celebrating now. Today AAA is predicting to be the busiest travel day on the roads with average travel times expected to jump 30%.
So when is the best time to go? Traffic analysts say in the morning or after 6 p.m. The worst time to drive today will be between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., according to AAA.
In the Boston area, the worst congestion is expected to occur at 11 am on Route 3 South, when traffic to Cape Cod will reach its peak.
Right after the holiday—it’s important to remember if you are driving around the Boston area, the Sumner Tunnel will close shortly after the fireworks go off—right at midnight. From July 5th through the end of August, the tunnel will be closed for repairs.
If you need to fill up at the pump before you hit the road, there is some good news. The national average for a gallon of gas is down a few cents compared to last week at $3.55 a gallon.
That’s right in line with what the average is here in Massachusetts, and if that still feels expensive to you, remember at this time last year we were paying on average $4.91 a gallon--almost $1.50 more.
The slight decline in gas prices comes as AAA predicts a record 43.2 million people will travel by car to celebrate the nation’s birthday, which is a 2.4% increase from last year. Despite that, new data from the Energy Information Administration reported that gas demand decreased slightly last week.
The lower demand and increasing supply have helped keep prices at the pump steady. If the demand remains low, prices will likely continue a small decline into next week.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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