Travelers driving in the Chicago area over the Fourth of July weekend should plan for significant traffic delays as an anticipated 2.5 million Illinois residents will drive to their destinations, according to AAA.

       The travel club is warning that Friday rush hour, especially between 4 and 6 p.m., will be the worst time to travel through the city as travel times could double, according to AAA.

       The number of people on the roads in Illinois is estimated to be an increase over about 1.9 million people hitting Illinois roads in 2020, according to AAA.

       Pedestrians walk past traffic as it moves west along Randolph Street toward Michigan Avenue and beyond on June 28, 2021. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)

       The Illinois Tollway anticipates more than 9.3 million vehicles will travel along its system, with Thursday and Friday being days with the longest travel times. Most temporary maintenance and construction lane closures will be suspended from noon Friday until 9 a.m. Monday. More information on construction projects can be found on the tollway’s website.

       There is no maintenance or construction that will interfere with Chicago Transit Authority rail transportation over the holiday weekend, according to a statement from the CTA. Additional service will be provided for the Chicago Fire game at Soldier Field Saturday, according to the CTA. The usual added bus and rail service for the Cubs game at Wrigley Field on Monday will also be in effect, according to the CTA. Buses and trains will be running on a Sunday schedule on July 5, according to the statement. There will also be enhanced service to Navy Pier, beaches and museums as part of the CTA’s summer service plan, according to the statement.

       The Chicago Department of Aviation declined to comment on projections for travel through O’Hare International Airport and Midway Airport, pending a news release in the coming days. In 2019, the airports saw about 2.1 million travelers over the July 4 weekend.

       Rick Vancleve, customer service manager for United Airlines, assists a passenger in Terminal 1 at O'Hare International Airport on June 29, 2021, in Chicago. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)

       Masks are required on the CTA, according to the statement. Masks are also required in airports and on airplanes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

       AAA anticipates near-record high travel volumes nationally. More than 47.7 million Americans will take at least one trip over the holiday weekend, according to AAA, which defines the weekend as the period between Monday and July 5. Of those, a record 43.6 million will travel by car, an 8% increase compared with 2019, which had the previous record. And 3.5 million people will fly, representing a 164% increase from 2020, when the pandemic caused many to avoid the air.

       “Travel is back this summer, as Americans eagerly pursue vacations they’ve deferred for the last year-and-a-half,” said Debbie Haas, vice president of travel for AAA.

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