Thousands hitting the road for holiday travel

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – The Fourth of July weekend marks one of the busiest travel times of the year on Pennsylvania roadways, and no Pennsylvania roadway is expected to see more traffic than the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

Despite the increase in traffic and more people being on the roads this holiday weekend, most people KDKA spoke to were excited to be out and about and get where they were going.

From Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio, traveling both near and far, KDKA spoke with dozens of folks Saturday at the Oakmont Plaza on the Pennsylvania Turnpike that were going to some pretty fun places for vacation, from Gettysburg to Ocean City.

From Saturday to Monday, more than 1.5 million travelers are expected on the turnpike ahead of the Independence Day holiday, and of the small sample size on Saturday morning, most people shared Lauren Koshak’s thoughts on traveling the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

“So far, so good. We left around 4:30 this morning, and it has been pretty clear.”

Of course, the turnpike saw a backup on Friday when an overturned tractor-trailer blocked westbound traffic between Irwin and Pittsburgh for a few hours, but lanes were reopened by 8 a.m. And so far, for most people traversing the state, it has been a smooth ride.

Still, the turnpike estimates that over the next week, their roadway will see almost six million drivers in total. This number is up by over a quarter million compared to this time in 2022.

Experts say the best travel advice this holiday is to leave yourself extra time and make sure your car is ready for a long trip by checking things like your engine and tire pressure.

And if you need other travel tips, Toby Wardega traveling from Cleveland to North Carolina, may have the best idea to keep yourself alert and entertained.

“Listening to the Crime Junkie’s podcast and drinking a lot of caffeine to stay awake,” Wardega said with a laugh.

The biggest piece of advice we heard from people was to get on the road early.

Oh, and if you have kids in the car, it might be a good idea to have some games and some snacks.