(WXYZ) — Michigan drivers can expect to see the orange barrels on the side of the road for Memorial Day weekend.
According to the Michigan Department of Transportation, lane restrictions and construction on some road and bridge projects throughout the state will be paused this weekend.
It will start Friday, May 26 through Tuesday, May 30, on 81 out of 146 road and bridge projects across the state.
While operations will be suspended, drivers will see that equipment and certain traffic configurations may remain in place like temporary shifts or shoulder closures.
“On Memorial Day, we honor those who gave their lives to protect our nation and come together with family and friends for a long weekend,” Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said in a statement. “To ensure Michiganders can get where they need to go safely and on time, we are suspending work and lifting traffic restrictions this weekend."
"With holiday traffic expected to be back to nearly pre-pandemic levels, this is a great time to remind drivers of safe habits as everyone takes to the road this summer," said Acting State Transportation Director Brad Wieferich.
Information on work zones that will remain active or have lane restrictions can be found here.
AAA Michigan reports that over 1.2 million Michiganders will travel for Memorial Day, which is more than last year and nearly back to pre-pandemic levels in 2019.
According to AAA, this would be the third-busiest Memorial Day travel weekend for Michiganders behind 2018 and 2019.
In all, 1.1 million Michigan resides are expected to drive, about 62,000 more than last year. 66,000 are expected to fly, which is 7,000 more than last year.
“Memorial Day weekend is the kickoff to what promises to be a very busy summer travel season,” said Debbie Haas, Vice President of Travel for AAA – The Auto Club Group. “Despite various inflationary pressures, consumer spending is strong, and Americans still want to travel. Because of that, we’ve seen demand come roaring back, just shy of pre-pandemic levels in Michigan.”
The breakdown is below.
Michigan Holiday Travel Volumes | ||||
| Total | Auto | Air | Other |
2023 | 1,249,511 | 1,125,126 | 66,419 | 57,965 |
2022 | 1,169,837 | 1,062,410 | 59,152 | 48,276 |
2019 | 1,286,080 | 1,163,549 | 68,631 | 53,900 |
AAA reports that travel will be up around the country for Memorial Day. In all, they project 42.3 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more for the weekend. That's 2.7 million more than last year, but fewer than was reported in 2019 and 2005.
Demand for flights is soaring, according to AAA, with the agency saying this year will be the strongest Memorial Day air travel since 2005. People are also paying more for Memorial Day trip this year due to rising airline ticket costs.
