Slightly more Philadelphia-area holiday travelers

Paul Nussbaum, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
Posted: May 23, 2012

About 10 percent of Philadelphia-area residents will hit the road — or the rails or the runways — for Memorial Day, according to projections by the auto club AAA Mid-Atlantic.

About 404,000 residents of Philadelphia and the four Pennsylvania suburban counties are expected to travel at least 50 miles from home during the May 24-May 28 period. That is slightly higher — up 0.5 percent — than during the Memorial Day period last year, said Jenny Robinson, spokeswoman for AAA. An estimated 88 percent will drive.

In New Jersey, 907,000 residents are expected to travel at least 50 miles during the period, said AAA spokeswoman Tracy Noble. "We are expecting our roadways to be very congested, not only with New Jersey travelers, but also with travelers from out of state," she said.

With the economy improving and gasoline prices down slightly from last Memorial Day, mid-Atlantic holiday travelers are expected to spend an average of $839. Gas prices are 15 cents per gallon less now than a year ago, AAA said.

Nationwide, about 34.8 million people, or 11 percent of Americans, are expected to travel more than 50 miles from home for the long Memorial Day weekend.

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