4th Of July 2016: Best (And Worst) Times To Travel In NYC
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- It's July 4th weekend, and with an estimated 43 million people expected to travel this holiday, it's a good bet there's potential travel nightmares when heading in and out of New York City.
More: July 4th Party Guide | One-Tank-Weekend Getaways | Street Closures
But, if you plan you trip right, you may be able to avoid at least some of the headache. Here's a list of the best times to travel this weekend in NYC, according to AAA:
Bronx and Queens
If you're headed north or into the Bronx or Queens, your best bet is to burn the midnight oil and travel over the Triboro, Whitestone and Throgs Neck bridges overnight. According to the AAA, traffic picks up between 5 a.m. and 11 a.m. and does not begin to drop off until after 5 p.m.
The worst time to travel: 3 p.m
More: Mass Transit Advisory From MTA
Manhattan
If you're using the tunnels, the Manhattan-bound side will see significantly more traffic in both the Midtown and Battery tunnels through the weekend. Outbound tunnels will be consistently lighter in volume, according to the AAA.
Best Times: Between 5 p.m. and 9 a.m.
Worst Times: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Staten Island
According to the AAA, the Verrazano Bridge will handle the most traffic out of any bridge, with around 80,000 vehicles traveling per day.
Best Times: Between 8 p.m. and 9 a.m.
Worst Times: Between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m.
According to the AAA, lower gas prices, hotel rates and airfare nationwide can be attributed to the spike in July 4th holiday weekend travel.
