Memorial Day 2024: Destination at Jersey shore is worth travel headaches

PHILADELPHIA – Are you traveling to the Jersey shore this Memorial Day weekend? You are not alone, but, based on the traffic, you may already know that.

Many people have one goal in mind this holiday and that is to get to the beautiful beach as soon as possible. But, it has not been smooth sailing.

Kara Kool had this to say, regarding travel, “There’s been a lot of traffic. A lot of road work. I’ve been driving for, like, two hours, but still have an hour and a half, it says. I had to make a pit stop at Wawa. It’s a favorite.”

From a driver’s perspective, at the start of rush hour Friday, how long did it actually take to get out of Philly, over the Walt Whitman Bridge and to the Atlantic City Expressway during the very busy start of Memorial Day weekend?

Even through television magic, it looks like it was only a few seconds, but it actually took exactly one hour to get from Philadelphia to the Atlantic City Expressway.

Idela Scott works in West Philadelphia, but lives in Sicklerville, New Jersey. “It was a nightmare just getting on the bridge, the Walt Whitman Bridge. It was horrible. Even the back roads are pretty bad. I left Philly around 3:30 and it is now 5:17 and I’m just getting to Sicklerville. It was a little annoying.”

While annoying for some, others say the destination makes up for it, in the end.

“It’s always better when it’s smooth sailing, but, ya know, it is what it is,” Allentown resident Allen Wenner stated. “You kind of come into this knowing there’s gonna be traffic, so it’s not that bad. And, definitely worth it with three days away. Anybody can use that.”

And, that’s what keeps people focused in all the traffic – the goal of good times ahead.