July 4th Traffic: When Is The Best Time To Get Out Of Milwaukee?

WISCONSIN — If you're one of the millions of Americans planning to travel for the 4th of July, prepare for possible disruptions. Drivers can take the stress off by avoiding peak traffic times around Milwaukee and beyond in what the AAA predicts will be record-breaking Independence Day weekend travel this year.

The auto club predicted 50.7 million Americans will travel 50 or more miles from home for the holiday weekend. That's 2.1 million more than last year, beating out a record from 2019 of 49 million travelers.

About 43.2 million people will travel by car, an increase of 2.4 percent over 2022 and 4 percent higher than in 2019, according to AAA. Air travel is expected to set a new record of 4.17 million people flying to their destinations, up 11.2 percent from 2022 and 6.6 from 2019, when the previous record was set.

There are a few times of day that traffic is set to be best for drivers, and other times that traffic will be the worst, according to INRIX, AAA’s data partner in the forecast.

If you’re driving, avoid Friday if you can. AAA says June 30 will be the busiest day on the roads, with travel times up nearly 30 percent in the most congested areas, including major metros like Boston, Seattle and Washington, D.C.

If you must travel Friday, try to get on the road in the morning or after 6 p.m. In general, the best and worst travel times are:

• Thursday: Worst time, 4-6 p.m.; best time, before noon.
• Friday: Worst time, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; best time, before 10 a.m., after 6 p.m.
• Saturday: Worst time, 1 p.m.; best time, before noon.
• Sunday: Minimal traffic impact expected.
• Monday: Minimal traffic impact expected.
• Tuesday: Worst time, 12-3 p.m.; best time, before 11 a.m., after 6 p.m.
• Wednesday: Worst time, 3-6 p.m.; best time, before 2 p.m.

Most construction in Wisconsin will pause during the holiday, though transportation officials warned drivers of some possible delays in the southeastern part of the state including:

• Milwaukee and Ozaukee counties: Expect intermittent ramp and local street closures in certain segments along I-43 between Glendale and Grafton.
• Milwaukee County: Motorists will encounter lane closures on northbound I-43 between Keefe Avenue and Capitol Drive and southbound I-43 between Capitol Drive and North Avenue. Expect intermittent ramp and local street closures along I-43 between Brown Street and Capitol Drive.
• Milwaukee County: Three lanes remain open in both directions on I-41/US 45 (Zoo Interchange North Leg Project) between Watertown Plank Road and Burleigh Street. Ramps at North Avenue remain closed.
• Racine County: WIS 20 is closed from WIS 36 to US 45 near Waterford. Motorists should use the posted detour via WIS 36/WIS 83, WIS 11 and US 45.
• Walworth County: Motorists can expect single lane closures on US 12 in both directions between Lake Geneva and Elkhorn.

“We’re celebrating safe driving as thousands of Wisconsinites and visitors gear up to travel to their favorite summer destination for the Fourth of July holiday weekend,” WisDOT Secretary Craig Thompson said in a news release. “Drivers should plan ahead, be courteous, avoid distractions behind the wheel and drive sober. These steps can help save lives and prevent crashes on Wisconsin roadways.”

WisDOT offered some safety tips for drivers over the holiday:

• Buckle Up, Phone Down – every trip, every time. Encourage family, friends and co-workers to take the pledge.
• Slow down. Posted speed limits apply to ideal travel conditions. Drivers are required to travel at a “reasonable and prudent” speed based on weather and traffic conditions.
• Eliminate distractions and focus on what’s ahead. Texting while driving is prohibited and very dangerous. It is also illegal in Wisconsin for drivers to use a handheld mobile device in work zones.
• Move over or slow down for emergency responders stopped along a highway with their warning lights flashing. That includes police and fire vehicles, ambulances, tow trucks and highway maintenance vehicles. In addition, state law restricts use of a cell phone in areas surrounding those vehicles.
• Steer It, Clear It! State law requires drivers to move vehicles involved in a crash out of traffic if no one is hurt and the vehicles can be moved safely. If someone is hurt or the vehicle is disabled, drivers should not risk injury by trying to push the vehicle out of traffic.

If you’re traveling by air, check the status of your flight on FlightAware.com, as airports brace for travel nearly equal to pre-pandemic levels.

The Transportation Security Administration said Tuesday it has brought on additional staff to prevent security screening backups. On Friday alone, the TSA expects to conduct nearly 3 million screenings, surpassing pre-pandemic numbers in 2019.

“TSA is staffed and ready for the increasing travel volumes during this holiday travel period with the technologies and resources for improved security effectiveness, efficiency and passenger experience at security checkpoints,” David Pekoske, the agency’s administrator, said in a news release.

The peak summer travel period is off to a rocky start. Thousands of air travelers saw their flights delayed or cancelled this weekend and Monday as thunderstorms rolled in across the Midwest and U.S. East Coast, and technology failures contributed to airline disruptions, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. FAA briefly paused operations at Washington, D.C.-area airports Sunday evening due to a problem with the communications system at a major air traffic control facility.

If your flight is canceled, most airlines will rebook it for free on the next available flight as long as it has seats, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

If you want to cancel the trip entirely, you’re entitled to a full refund, even if you bought non-refundable tickets. You’re also entitled to a refund of any bag fees, seat upgrades or other extras.

And although airlines aren’t required to put you on another airline’s flight, they can, and sometimes do. Also, although they are currently not required to do so, some airlines offer hotel rooms and other accommodations if passengers find themselves stranded for reasons that are within the airline’s control.

The DOT also has an online dashboard that allows travelers to compare cancellation and delay policies of major carriers.

Flight cancellations trended lower throughout the spring of 2023 than last year, according to data from the FAA. Last year, some 52,000 flights were canceled from June through August. Airlines have hired about 30,000 workers since then, including thousands of pilots, and they are using bigger planes to reduce flights but not the number of seats.

Still, officials warn of lingering staffing shortages, notably among key air traffic controllers. The agency resorted to nudging airlines to reduce flights in the New York City area this summer, and it opened 169 new flight paths over the East Coast to reduce bottlenecks.

The Associated Press contributed reporting.