Best, Worst Travel Times For July 4 In The Twin Cities

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — Planning to hit the road for Independence Day, but dreading the traffic that goes along with the packed roads and construction in the Twin Cities metro? Google wants to help.

The search and web services giant has mapped out traffic and search trends for major cities, including the Twin Cities region, and has some advice on the best, and worst, times to hit the road this year. Much like trying to make it out of town on a fall, spring or winter holiday, the best times to leave are in the middle of the night, literally.

AAA predicts a record-breaking 46.9 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more away from home this for July 4, an increase of more than 5 percent compared with last year and the highest number since the auto club started tracking 18 years ago.

Gas prices have slowly but steadily started to fall since the 2018 high of $2.97 set over Memorial Day weekend. Since then, the national gas price has dropped nine cents to $2.88 (as of June 20), which is 59 cents more than one year ago. However, the higher prices are having little effect on travelers this Independence Day, with record number of travelers still planning to hit the road this year.

On your way out of town, Google suggests the best time to leave will be 4 a.m. on Wednesday, July 4 according to the company's results. The worst time? Around 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Google says.

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Gas Prices Starting to Stabilize Heading into Independence Day

Gas prices have slowly but steadily started to fall since the 2018 high of $2.97 set over Memorial Day weekend, according to AAA. Since then, the national gas price has dropped nine cents to $2.88 (as of June 20), which is 59 cents more than one year ago.

However, the higher prices are having little effect on travelers this Independence Day, with record number of travelers still planning to hit the road this year.

By the Numbers: AAA 2018 Independence Day Holiday Travel Forecast

• Automobiles: The vast majority of travelers – 39.7 million – will hit the road this Independence Day, 5.1 percent more than last year.
• Planes: A record-breaking 3.8 million people will travel by air, a 7.9 percent increase and the ninth year of consecutive air travel volume increases.
• Trains, Buses and Cruise Ships: Travel across these sectors will increase by 5.8 percent to a total of 3.5 million passengers.

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