Memorial Day Travel 2023: When Wisconsin Roads Will Be Busiest

WISCONSIN — If you're one of the 42.3 million Americans expected to travel for 50 or more miles from home when the Memorial Day holiday weekend rolls around, you may want to check out the AAA auto club's travel forecast to beat the traffic.

AAA expects the six-day period to be the third-busiest since it began measuring Memorial Day travel a decade ago. Most people will drive. Road trips are expected to be up 6 percent over last year, with about 37.1 million motorists on the roads — about 2 million more people than last year competing for space on highways.

The holiday could be one of the busiest at the nation’s airports since Memorial Day in 2005, with nearly 3.4 million people, an 11 percent increase from 2022, expected to fly.

As a result of lower gas prices compared to last year, “drivers should expect long delays this holiday weekend, especially in and around major metros as commuters mix with Memorial Day travelers,” said Bob Pishue, a transportation analyst at INRIX, AAA’s data partner in the forecast.
The best times to travel by car are in the morning or evening after 6 p.m. The lightest traffic days will be Saturday and Sunday. Major metro areas like Boston, New York, Seattle, and Tampa will likely see travel times double compared to normal.

If you're planning on heading south, you may run into some traffic on Interstate 94 toward Chicago. AAA said peak congestion from Milwaukee to Chicago is expected Monday around 8 p.m. with 34 percent greater travel time.

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation had some notices for people traveling around the southeast part of the state for Memorial Day weekend:

• Milwaukee and Ozaukee counties: Expect intermittent ramp, lane, and local street closures in certain segments along I-43 between Milwaukee and Grafton.
• 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, as well as the Burleigh Street on-ramp to I-41 southbound.
• 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 will encounter single lane closures in both directions along US 12 between Lake Geneva and Elkhorn.

Here are some other tips from AAA as Milwaukee-area residents plan their road trips:

When you’re leaving, avoid traveling from 3-6 p.m. on both Thursday and Friday. Instead, leave before 1 p.m. on Thursday and noon on Friday.

At the end of the weekend, noon-3 p.m. Monday and 4-6 p.m. Tuesday are expected to be busy. Better times are before 10 a.m. Monday, and before 2 p.m. or after 6 p.m. on Tuesday.

Even with lower gas prices, travel will be more expensive overall, in large part because of the rising cost of airline tickets. AAA said its booking data shows a 40 percent increase in airfares to this year’s top destinations. International travel is surging as well, with a 250 percent increase over 2022.