Millions of drivers expected to travel for Memorial Day, up 60% from 2020

JACKSON, Tenn. — As we approach Memorial Day weekend, we are expecting an influx of drivers to be moving through West Tennessee.

Memorial Day is a holiday weekend many view as the kickoff to summer.

After speaking with travel officials, this is the first holiday weekend that a lot of people are looking to travel again since the pandemic.

According to AAA, 37.1 million Americans are expected to travel this weekend.

This is a projected 60% increase from last year’s holiday weekend, and they say this could be due to relaxed pandemic restrictions and improved consumer confidence.

AAA also says car travel will dominate this Memorial Day holiday, making up 92.7% of the people traveling.

The Tennessee Department of Transportation is taking steps to hopefully ease the flow of traffic.

“Beginning Friday at noon, running until Monday morning at 6 a.m., we’re going to halt all temporary lane closures for the Memorial Day holiday weekend,” said TDOT Community Relations Officer Nichole Lawrence.

However, even though temporary lane closures are halted, there will still be permanent lane closures that you could run into.

Lawrence says the best way to be safe is to know before you go.

“On our SmartWay system, you can look it up online. It’s a map that’s in our website and check your travel before you go, or you can call 511 from any phone to check your destination as well,” Lawrence said.

Lawrence says they are keeping a close eye on how the closure of the Interstate 40 Hernando de Soto Bridge in Memphis is impacting travel.

“We work very closely with [Arkansas Department of Transportation], trying to make improvements on traffic and looking at those trends. We closed down a few ramps last weekend on the Tennessee side around the Crump interchange to assist with that free flow on I-55,” Lawrence said.

With more drivers on the road, she says it’s extremely important to stay focused for you and others safety.

“Make sure you’re buckled up, make sure you’re not driving distracted, and you’re paying attention to the lanes that you are in,” Lawrence said.

AAA defines the Memorial Day holiday travel period as the five day period from Thursday, May 27 to Monday, May 31.

Although the amount of holiday travelers are expected to increase, the amount projected is still 13% less than 2019.

For more information on Memorial Day holiday travel, click here.