LEBANON COUNTY, Pa. — The Fourth of July is just around the corner.
While some people are set to celebrate at home, others are getting a head start on the road.
“I packed up today morning and I just left so this was like all unplanned, but I knew which day I was leaving,” said Aryan Pandya from New Jersey.
Pandya said he’s traveling to Wisconsin to visit friends and celebrate Independence Day.
Officials with the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission expect a gradual increase in drivers as the holiday gets closer.
“Throughout the period between this past Friday and the end of next weekend, we expect to see more than 5.62 million motorists on the turnpike system; that’s a 3% increase over last year's traffic tally during that same period,” said Crispin Havener, communications director for the Turnpike.
Officials expect more than 600,000 cars to hit the road on Wednesday, making it the busiest travel day before the Fourth of July on Thursday.
The Friday before the Fourth of July was also projected as one of the busiest days for travel.
Crispin says this year’s travel numbers are the highest since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We were seeing only about 4 million motorists on the road, so now we’re back up to 5.62, which is about what it was pre-COVID.”
Corey Miller, from Johnstown, says he’d rather stay in the state to celebrate and avoid the expected traffic.
“We’ll hangout with family that lives a little closer to me, I don’t like to go far,” Miller said.
Whether visiting family in the state or just passing through, drivers are encouraged to plan their routes before and after Thursday.
“The busiest day we do project to be Friday after the holiday and then it’ll be closer to normal levels on Saturday and Sunday,” Havener said.
For more travel tips from the Turnpike, click here.