Atlanta airport, interstates prepare for Fourth of July travel rush

ATLANTA - The big Fourth of July travel rush is kicking into gear Friday.

The roads and skies are expected to be the busiest as travelers head out of metro Atlanta to enjoy the holiday weekend.

AAA is projecting a record-setting number of Georgians will be traveling for Independence Day. The auto association forecasts more than 1.6 million people from the Peach State will take at least one trip of 50 miles or more from Friday through the Fourth of July - 68,000 more than the record high set last year.

At Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, officials expect hundreds of thousands of people to pass through on Friday alone.

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The airport has made some changes to try and ease up congestion. There will be a 30-minute grace period at all parking lots where visitors can wait for travelers for free. The airport is also doubling the number of terminal-to-terminal shuttles to deal with the rush.

Airport officials want to remind all travelers to check their flight status before heading to the airport and arrive at least two hours before domestic flights and three hours before international trips.

While the airport may be busy, AAA says that nearly 85% of travelers are hitting the road for the holidays.

The Georgia Department of Transportation expects that metro Atlanta interstates will experience the highest traffic Friday.

The congestion could start as early as noon and will add up to 45 minutes on top of travelers' regular commutes.

GDOT is suspending all lane closures on major highways to ease some of that congestion.

There is a bit of good news for drivers. The average price at the pump across Georgia is around 90 cents less than it was around this time in 2022.