AAA predicts traffic from Gainesville to Tampa as one of most congested travel routes for Memorial Day weekend

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WCJB) -Americans are hitting the roads for the Memorial Day weekend and AAA is reporting one of the most congested travel routes starts right here in North Central Florida.

According to AAA, 42.3 million people are expected to travel more than 50 miles this weekend, which is a 7% increase from last year. Experts said one of the most congested routes is on I-75 south from Gainesville to Tampa.

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That’s why Darrell Collins and his family decided to hit the road early.

“We’ve been planning the trip to our trip for 6 months,” said Collins. “That’s why we got up and left at 4 a.m. We’ve done this trip plenty of times so we know short of leaving at midnight that this is like the best route to take.”

While traffic is high, gas prices are lower. AAA reported the average price at the pump is around $3.38 per gallon compared to last year’s average which was almost $5 per gallon.

Earlier this month, the average price per gallon was more than $3.50. For people like Tom Darby, the price of gas was the last thing on his mind.

“I’m going to go anyway, even if it’s 5 bucks a gallon,” said Darby. “I know they’re a little lower that they have been recently. I can’t remember far back last year but it used to be 3.59 and now it’s 3.35, so that’s good.”

Experts advise the best time to leave was before noon, but traffic is expected to decline after 6 p.m. Remember to drive safe, and have a great holiday weekend.

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