Long Islanders Ready For Labor Day Weekend Travel As Gas Prices Drop

GARDEN CITY, NY — Long Islanders are ready to grab the final rays of summer (unofficial) sunlight.

Roads will be jam-packed throughout Labor Day Weekend, AAA said. The busiest days are expected to be Thursday, Friday and Saturday, according to data from INRIX.

Likely making the traffic even worse, AAA said, national gas prices are 47 cents per gallon cheaper than this time last year at $3.35. The New York average is $3.50, while it’s $3.36 on Long Island.

Domestic rental car rates are 16 percent lower than Labor Day Weekend a year ago, adding to packed highways.

If you’re heading to your destination this weekend, keep in mind that the worst travel times are typically 1 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, and Saturday from 8-11 a.m.

Vehicle breakdowns are always stress-induced, they are more complicated with bumper-to-bumper traffic.

“It can also be extremely dangerous with large trucks and passenger vehicles speeding past the stranded driver,” Robert Sinclair, Jr. of AAA Northeast, said. “All 50 states have some form of the slow down move over law to help increase safety for motorists and first responders at the roadside.”

Heading across the area bridges and tunnels during the holiday weekend? You’re not alone.

AAA anticipates nearly 5 million vehicles will pass through and over MTA facilities from Thursday to Monday. At the height of travel, 60,000 crossings per hour are expected from 3-6 p.m. on Thurs. and 2-6 p.m. on Friday. The busiest of the bunch is expected to the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, seeing more than 1 million vehicles, AAA said.