Heavy traffic expected July 3 in Kansas City
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Kansas City's worst travel day this weekend could be July 3, when a World Cup crowd and the holiday rush hit the interstates at the same time.
Why it matters: Fourth of July travel will be the busiest since at least 2019, AAA predicts.
- The right departure time could save you hours stuck in traffic.
Zoom in: Friday's Round of 32 match in KC starts at 8:30pm, dumping stadium traffic onto I-70 and I-435 in the late afternoon and evening — just as holiday drivers are trying to get out of town.
- Organizers say they've added buses and reworked entry after the opener resulted in traffic jams.
- ConnectKC26 Stadium Direct runs starting 3.5 hours before kickoff and requires a parking pass and match ticket, and KC Scout shows live highway conditions.
Zoom out: Still, KC has it easier than some other host cities.
- Los Angeles, which tops INRIX's congestion rankings, is already bracing for its own World Cup surge, and some of the country's most gridlocked metros, including Philadelphia, Boston and New York, are also hosting matches.
- Nationally, the worst single corridors are forecast to roughly double their usual drive times, INRIX says.
By the numbers: 72.2 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles for Independence Day between Saturday, June 27, and Sunday, July 5.
- That's up from 71.8 million travelers last year, but a smaller jump than in recent years.
- Most July 4 travelers, 85%, are forecast to drive this year, despite high gas prices, according to AAA.
The bottom line: Leave in the morning, except on the Fourth, when after 3pm is your best bet.