Nearly 5.5 million Southern Californians are expected to travel for the Fourth of July weekend, with most of them driving instead of flying or taking trains, the Automobile Club of Southern California said.

Travel Plans

Among those planning to travel, 4.33 million will drive at least 50 miles to celebrate the holiday while 765,000 will fly between June 27 and July 5. About 380,000 people are forecast to travel by bus, train or ship.

While gas prices are still well over $5 per gallon, more people are expected to hit the road for the weekend compared to last year. The Auto Club explained that a road trip may be still more affordable than buying plane tickets.

According to INRIX, transportation data provider, the 15 Freeway between San Diego and Palm Springs will see heaviest traffic during the holiday period, especially on Wednesday, July 1 at 6:15 p.m. The travel time is expected to be at least 67% higher than normal conditions, INRIX estimated.

Original reporting: NBC4 Los Angeles — read the source article.