4th Of July Travelers Be Warned: Here's When Not To Hit The Chicago Roadways

CHICAGO (CBS)--Chicago drivers are no stranger to traffic, but driving through the city during the week of the Fourth of July may test even the most patient drivers.

AAA's annual travel forecast for Independence Day ranks Chicago eighth on the travel club's list of the 10 worst cities to be driving in during July 3--expected to be the worst day for road congestion that week.

The report pinpoints specific times when traffic is expected to peak. In Chicago, the worst traffic is expected to occur on Tuesday between 4 and 6 p.m. when many people leave work early and hit the roads for a long weekend.

Travel times could double on July 3 in the major metropolitan areas across the U.S., according to INRIX, a transportation analytics company.

The good news is holiday road travel may not break the bank.

Gas prices have slowly but steadily started to fall since hitting a nationwide high of an average of $2.97 per gallon during Memorial Day weekend, INRIX says.

Since that weekend, the average national gas price has dropped five cents to $2.92, as of June 12.

Gas stations are charging a bit more in Cook County, however, where a gallon of gas costs an average of $3.13, according to data from Gas Buddy, an app that tracks fuel costs.

Despite AAA predictions made earlier this year that gas prices would skyrocket in 2018, Americans were paying an average of 57 cents more per gallon at the pump a year ago.

Of the millions traveling, 39.7 million will drive to their Independence Day destination--about 5 percent more than last year, according to AAA's travel forecast.

Air travel is also expected to increase, by about 8 percent from last year, AAA says. The average flight for a round-trip flight during holiday week--defined as July 3 to 8--is $171 for a roundtrip flight on the top 40 domestic airlines.