California’s Labor Day weekend escape may start with a familiar headache: hours of slow-moving traffic and a view of the bumper ahead.
With millions of travelers loading up for coastal trips, desert getaways and one final summer outing, drivers are running into a tough holiday traffic equation, according to mobility analytics firm INRIX and AAA.
Labor Day creates a sharper crunch than holidays such as Christmas or Thanksgiving, when trips are often spread across several days. This weekend’s departures tend to pile up fast, but there is a straightforward way to avoid the worst delays: get on the road early.
INRIX projects the heaviest outbound traffic will hit Thursday and Friday afternoons, when long-weekend travelers merge with regular commuter congestion.
Drivers leaving Friday are advised to depart before noon, because the worst holiday traffic is expected between 12 p.m. and 8 p.m. Those who miss that window may find a brief break Saturday morning, before delays build again from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Sunday remains the undisputed weekend winner with minimal traffic disruptions expected across the state, while the return wave on Labor Day Monday will snare anyone who fails to hit the tarmac before traffic peaks fiercely between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m.
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Nowhere will that congestion bite harder than Southern California’s premier vacation corridors.
The crown for holiday highway hell goes to Interstate 5 South from Los Angeles down to San Diego. The peak bottleneck hits Friday at about 6 p.m., when commutes could stretch to an excruciating 5 hours and 19 minutes — a 75% increase over normal traffic times.
Meanwhile, desert-bound travelers going from San Diego out towards Palm Springs via Interstate 15 North faced their worst nightmare on Thursday at 5:45 p.m., with estimated drive times ballooning to 4 hours and 12 minutes, marking a 50% surge from normal traffic.
Up north, those going to the state’s capital from San Francisco on Interstate 80 East will face the worst of it on Friday at 4:45 p.m., where traffic spikes by 81%, turning an otherwise quick drive into a 4 hour and 40 minute road trip.
Compounding the misery of inching along baking asphalt is California’s infamous fuel sticker shock. While the national average sits around $4.14 a gallon, Golden State drivers are coughing up an eye-watering average of $5.80 statewide.
San Diego County drivers are getting squeezed for roughly $5.92 a gallon and Los Angeles County for $5.85, according to AAA.