AAA projects 56% longer commute from Fort Collins to Denver on Memorial Day
DENVER (KDVR) — If you’re one of the millions of Americans hitting the road for Memorial Day weekend, AAA has published its estimates for how the increased traffic could affect metro area drive times.
“We haven’t seen Memorial Day weekend travel numbers like these in almost 20 years,” said Paula Twidale, Senior Vice President of AAA Travel, in a release. “We’re projecting an additional one million travelers this holiday weekend compared to 2019, which not only means we’re exceeding pre-pandemic levels but also signals a very busy summer travel season ahead.”
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AAA is projecting that 43.8 million travelers will head 50 miles or more from home during the Memorial Day holiday travel period, which AAA defines as Thursday, May 23 through Monday, May 27. Those millions of travelers represent a 4% increase over 2023’s travel numbers and come close to the record set for Memorial Day travel in 2005, when 44 million travelers were recorded.
AAA says most Americans (87.6%) traveling during Memorial Day will drive, while only 8% will fly. The last category of “other” has grown significantly from 2023, although it still represents only 4.3% of the total travelers during the five days. However, AAA predicts that 1.9 million Americans will travel by some method other than plane or car, up from 1.8 million in 2023 — a 5.6% growth.
“This category took the biggest hit during the pandemic with fewer people taking public transportation or not cruising at all,” Twidale said in AAA’s Memorial Day number announcement. “Now – five years later – we’re back to 2019 numbers. Travel demand has been soaring, and long holiday weekends create the perfect windows for getaways.”
However, auto travelers are also up by 4% from 2023 and air travel is projected to increase by 4.8% over 2023. AAA said that airports are bracing for the incoming wave of travelers, and said this will likely be the most crowded Memorial Day weekend at airports since 2005.
When should Colorado drivers hit the road?
According to INRIX, a provider of transportation data and insights that AAA uses, drivers leaving Thursday or Friday should hit the road early — that way they avoid commuters. Travelers heading back on Sunday or Monday should avoid the afternoon hours, when return trips are projected to peak.
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“Travel times are expected to be up to 90% longer than normal. Travelers should stay up to date on traffic apps, 511 services, and local news stations to avoid sitting in traffic longer than necessary,” Bob Pishue, transportation analyst at INRIX, told AAA.
Denver’s metro congestion is far from the worst projected, with a 72% longer drive time projected in Washington, D.C., and an 88% longer drive time projected in Tampa.
That might be because of the top travel destinations Americans are choosing, according to AAA. The organization found that the top domestic destinations this year are:
Orlando, Florida
Seattle
New York City
Las Vegas
Anaheim/Los Angeles
Denver
Anchorage, Alaska
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Miami
Boston
Hertz, AAA’s car rental partner, said Orlando, Denver, Atlanta, Boston and Las Vegas are the cities displaying the highest rental demand, with the busiest pick-up days projected to be Thursday, May 23 and Friday, May 24.
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AAA is projecting the peak Memorial Day congestion on Interstate 25 on Sunday, May 26 at about 4:15 p.m. The business looked at the I-25 corridor between Fort Collins and Denver and is projecting the drive will take about an hour and 24 minutes. That’s a 56% longer drive time than typical, according to AAA.
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