More Than 525,000 Residents In Region To Travel For Memorial Day Weekend

Drivers heading out for the unofficial start of summer will face a mix of record-breaking highway congestion and the highest pump prices in four years this Memorial Day weekend.

AAA projects that more than 525,000 residents from the five-county Philadelphia area will travel at least 50 miles from home between Thursday and Monday.

The figure represents a 0.2% bump over last year and follows a broader national trend of stable but flattening holiday travel volume.

Nationally, AAA expects 39.1 million people to travel over the holiday weekend, which is roughly equal to last year’s totals.

Road trips remain the overwhelming favorite, making up 87% of the national travel share, according to AAA Mid-Atlantic.

In the Philadelphia area, nearly 90% of travelers — upwards of 470,000 locals — plan to drive to their destinations.

While that marks a record-breaking road trip volume for the region, it is only a 0.1% increase over 2025.

The slow growth comes as drivers face significantly higher fuel costs from the past few years.

The national average for a gallon of regular gasoline sits at $4.56, up 3 cents from last week and $1.38 higher than the $3.17 average recorded during the same period last year.

Prices are approaching the $4.61 national average seen during the holiday weekend in 2022.

In the Philadelphia five-county region, drivers are paying an average of $4.63 per gallon, an increase of 2 cents from last week and $1.42 from a year ago. Pennsylvania’s statewide average is $4.64.

Drivers will find slightly lower prices in neighboring states: South Jersey averages $4.50 per gallon (up a penny this week, up $1.48 from last year), while Delaware sits at $4.34 (up a penny this week, up $1.37 from last year).

Analysts blamed the increased gas prices to rising fuel demand and the prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz as part of the war with Iran.

“Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer, and for most Americans it’s a three-day weekend,” said Jana Tidwell, manager of public and government affairs for AAA Club Alliance. “However, continued economic uncertainties and concerns over rising prices have led to the smallest year over year travel growth rate we’ve seen in more than a decade, outside of the COVID impacts in 2020.”

“Despite continued economic uncertainties and concerns over rising prices, demand for travel is strong, though many people plan to curb spending in other areas to make it happen,” she said.

Public electric vehicle charging stations have held steady at a national average of 41 cents per kilowatt-hour.

Air travel in the region is expected to dip 0.3%, with just over 38,000 Philadelphia-area residents flying.

Travel on trains, buses, and cruises are seeing a 3.8% bump, which equals nearly 17,000 local travelers.

On the ground, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission is bracing for an influx of nearly 2.18 million motorists between Friday and Monday, a 2% traffic increase over the same period in 2025.

Officials reported that traffic volume has remained steady for both passenger and commercial vehicles despite supply chain disruptions and rising fuel costs.

Turnpike officials expect traffic to peak on Friday, with an estimated 706,000 vehicles.

Projections drop to 530,000 on Saturday, 480,000 on Sunday, and 463,000 on Monday.

The projected weekend of Turnpike travelers totals 2,179,000 motorists.

Turnpike maintenance and construction crews will suspend all work affecting open lanes from 3 p.m. Thursday until 11 p.m. Monday.

The Pennsylvania State Police and the GEICO-sponsored Safety Patrol will also increase presence on the highway.

Turnpike officials reminded motorists to eliminate distractions, use the PA Toll Pay App to securely manage E-ZPass or Toll By Plate accounts, and obey the state’s Move Over Law by slowing down or moving over for stopped emergency responders.

Drivers experiencing emergencies can dial *11 for assistance from the highway safety patrol.