The Worst Time to Drive in MN During 4th of July Holiday

If you're packing up the family and hitting the road over the upcoming 4th of July holiday, you won't be alone. A record number of Americans will be joining you this year, and we now know just when the busiest times on the roads are expected here in Minnesota and across the country.

According to AAA, over 72.2 million Americans are planning to travel at least 50 miles from home for the Independence Day holiday travel period, which runs from Saturday, June 27, through Sunday, July 5. Most of those holiday travelers will take to the road, with 4.3 million of the 5.1 million in our neck of the woods here in Minnesota and surrounding states set to drive to their destinations.

Record Number of Americans Expected to Travel This July 4

Driving to your vacation destination is something we're pretty familiar with here in the North Star State. While Minnesota is known as the Land of 10,000 Lakes, it could also be known as the Land of 135,000 Roads and Streets. That's because, according to the Research Department of the Minnesota House of Representatives, that's how many miles there are in Minnesota between town roads, city streets, county roads, and highways.

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The U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration says that number jumps up to 283,828 miles when you include state highways, U.S. highways, and interstate highways here in the Bold North.

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When Minnesota Roads Are Expected to Be Most Congested

But which times will be the busiest on the roads and highways here in Minnesota? While many of us won't get started celebrating our nation's 250th birthday until next week, AAA Minnesota says that one of the busiest travel times will likely happen *this* weekend.

According to INRIX, a provider of transportation data and insights, the weekend of July 3 through July will be the busiest on the roads. However, if you're traveling to cities like Boston, Los Angeles, or Philadelphia, peak congestion on the roads can also be expected on Saturday, June 27.

Best and Worst Times to Drive During the Holiday Week

Here are the dates and times that are expected to be the busiest on the highways and byways during the 4th of July holiday travel period, according to AAA Minnesota:

Meanwhile, if you are hitting the road this year, you'll find that the price of gasoline is quite a bit more expensive this year. AAA Minnesota says the statewide average price for a gallon of unleaded is at $3.92 right now-- 83 cents more a gallon than we were paying over the 4th of July last year. Keep scrolling to see just how *cheap* gas was the year you first started driving!