NORFOLK, Va. — Memorial Day weekend is shaping up to be one of the busiest travel weekends of the year across Virginia, even as drivers continue to face high gas prices.
According to Ryan Adcock with AAA Tidewater, travel numbers are expected to remain strong and closely mirror last year’s holiday traffic.
“We’re forecasting around 1.07 million Virginians to travel more than 50 miles from home to make that trip for Memorial Day,” Adcock said.
Adcock says travelers should plan ahead and expect significant congestion during peak travel times, especially in the afternoon and early evening hours.
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“If you’re wanting to travel in the middle of the day or even in the early evening, you will encounter some traffic, so just account for that on your commutes,” he said.
AAA recommends drivers hit the road either early in the morning or later in the evening to avoid the heaviest congestion. Traffic is expected to build after lunchtime and continue through about 7 p.m.
To help ease congestion during the holiday weekend, the Virginia Department of Transportation will suspend many highway work zones and temporarily lift lane closures.
VDOT is also warning drivers heading toward Hampton Roads and Virginia Beach to prepare for heavy traffic throughout the region.
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Drivers traveling to the Oceanfront during peak hours should expect major slowdowns on Interstate 64 eastbound, particularly near the Granby Street interchange and continuing toward the Interstate 264 interchange.
For travelers coming from the Peninsula, congestion is expected along Interstate 64 eastbound through the New Kent area and near the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel.
Meanwhile, traffic on Interstate 264 eastbound is expected to intensify from the Downtown Tunnel in Norfolk all the way to the Virginia Beach Oceanfront.
For Monday travel away from the Oceanfront. Expect I-264 westbound to get busy between 1 p.m and 6 p.m. as holiday congestion mixes with rush hour congestion. That westbound drive on 64 up the Peninsula also won't be fun.
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