The Fourth of July holiday is quickly approaching, and thousands of New Jersey residents will be hitting the road.

AAA says that Thursday was one of New Jersey’s busiest travel days of the year as people head out for the holiday weekend.

“The worst time to travel – Thursday and Friday this week – midday. Coming back Tuesday is going to be very heavily traveled,” says AAA spokeswoman Tracy Noble.

The weekend is expected to set a new record for the number of people traveling by car, with an increase of nearly 2.1 million people, compared to 2022. More than 50 million people are expected to travel across the country.

Some families are using alternate routes to get around roadway congestion.

“Going through Staten Island, we were taking side streets, it was that bad,” one traveler told News 12.

And while everyone hits the roadways, they will need to fuel up. AAA says that the average price of gasoline in New Jersey is $3.47. The average nationwide is around $3.55.

The weather for the holiday weekend will be a mixed bag. There is a chance for rain Saturday and Sunday, with high humidity. But the News 12 Storm Watch Team says that in no way will the weekend be a washout. Daytime high temperatures will be in the 80s with mild temperatures at night.

For those who are flying for their holiday getaway, some delays are still possible due to the hundreds of delays and cancelations earlier this week due to bad weather. Air travelers are urged to check with their airline before heading to the airport to find out the status of their flights.