PITTSBURGH — Record numbers of Americans are expected to travel over the Independence Day holiday weekend.
At the Pennsylvania Turnpike’s Hempfield Township service plaza, travelers told Channel 11 they hit the road early to avoid heavy traffic and soaring temperatures.
AAA projects 72.2 million people will travel during the Independence Day holiday period, making it one of the busiest Fourth of July travel weekends on record.
Mary Veilleux said her family was headed to Michigan for a family reunion.
“We are just thankful to be in our country; we’re thankful for the United States of America; we’re thankful to have freedom,” Veilleux said.
Other travelers were heading to destinations including Minnesota and Maryland.
Kelly Shea said leaving before sunrise helped her family avoid traffic.
“So far so good. We left very early this morning, anticipating it was going to be a busy travel day, so we left about 5:15 a.m., but it’s been smooth sailing so far,” Shea said.
“It’s been fantastic, no problems. The traffic’s been great. Weather is hot, but that’s OK,” said Mark Johnson.
While traffic remained manageable for many drivers, the extreme heat was prompting some families to change their holiday plans to more indoor activities.
“We’re gonna try and stay inside, stay cool, brought lots of water for the dog,” said Shea.
The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission projects more than 6.5 million motorists will travel on the turnpike over the holiday weekend.
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