Thousands of New Jersey residents are heading to the Jersey Shore for the Fourth of July holiday.

Traffic on the Garden State Parkway was heavy Friday as many headed down to popular beach destinations such as Asbury Park, Cape May and Atlantic City.

AAA says that gas prices are down slightly since the Memorial Day holiday, prompting many to hit the road to travel.

“It took me 3.5 hours to get from Long Island to New Jersey,” says Larry Begnal.

Temperatures across the state reached 90 degrees for the first day of an anticipated heatwave.

“It’s going to be a beautiful weekend weather-wise, so I’m hoping to enjoy outdoors,” says Jahayra Rincon, of Morristown.

Those who were already at the shore say that conditions felt 20 degrees cooler than they were inland.

“It’s gorgeous. Great breeze, kids were out in the surf…not that crowded,” says Lincroft resident Steve Cavendish. “I guess with the heat more people will come tomorrow and Sunday.

The gates to Sandy Hook open at 5 a.m. Saturday. It is anticipated that lines of cars will form soon after, as people try to get in.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey says that it is prepared for the influx of travelers for the holiday. More than 2.3 million passengers are expected to pass through the agency’s airports.

NJ Transit is offering early holiday getaway services. Extra outbound service will begin on Tuesday, July 3. Trains will operate on a weekend schedule for the Fourth of July.