Labor Day traffic to the Cape expected to peak Thursday

U.S. travel over Labor Day weekend is expected to be up 9% compared to 2023.

• Don't expect anything different on the way to the Cape.

State of play: AAA and INRIX, a company that analyzes transportation data, suggest motorists avoid traveling Thursday and Friday evenings to escape the worst traffic.

• Car traffic from Boston to Hyannis will likely peak Thursday around 1:45pm, with 24% more congestion.
• Expect a trip around then to take an hour and 42 minutes.

Zoom out: The worst times to head anywhere are 1pm-7pm Thursday, 2pm-6pm Friday and 8am-11am Saturday, per AAA and INRIX.

• AAA suggests traveling before 11am Thursday and before noon and after 7pm Friday and Saturday afternoon.
• For the return trip, avoid traveling 2pm-8pm Sunday, 11am-8pm Monday and 8am-12pm Tuesday.
• Instead, travel before noon on Sunday, before 10am Monday and after 1pm Tuesday.

Yes, but: Gas will likely be cheaper than it was this time last year.

• National gas prices have fallen to $3.50 in recent weeks, down from $3.81 during Labor Day weekend in 2023.

Editor's note: This story has been corrected to reflect that traffic from Boston to Hyannis is expected to peak at 24% (not 28%) more congestion than normal, for a travel time of an hour and 42 minutes (not about five hours).