Butler County residents can expect highways to be jam-packed in the coming weeks, with this holiday season is projected to be one of the most heavily traveled ever.

AAA is projecting 119.3 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more between Saturday, Dec. 21, and Jan. 1. According to a AAA news release, an additional 3 million travelers are expected this holiday season compared to last year.

In the mid-Atlantic region of Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey, a regional total of 13.5 million travelers is expected, about a 3% increase from last year.

“We’re projecting its going to be a record setting amount of people. Just shy of 120 million will travel more than 50 miles from home, and it will be the busiest on the weekends of that time period,” said Jim Garrity, AAA spokesperson.

Garrity said it is normal for the end-of-year holidays to top the list out of other holidays for increased travelers and traffic.

Around 90% of travelers are expected to drive to their destinations.

The number of travelers by car and by airplane are returning to pre-pandemic levels, with 107 million expected to travel by car, barely shy of 2019’s numbers. Meanwhile, AAA expects air travel to set a record with 7.85 million passengers this holiday season. AAA data also shows flights are 4% more expensive this holiday season compared to 2023.

“I think part of it is a return for people; they’re excited to get back out and traveling,” Garrity said. “It’s kind of in line with this year; Thanksgiving was a record setting year, the Fourth of July we saw very heavy road travel, and this will be capping off a strong year for traveling.”

Due to traffic and weather, AAA offers a handful of safety tips. Following posted speed limits, getting enough sleep and being cautious of roadside workers are strongly recommended.

“Give yourself enough time so you don’t run into traffic or weather, and don’t stress yourself out and engage in riskier behaviors amid gigantic upticks in traffic,” Garrity said.

Garrity said slowing down and moving over for roadside workers is one of the big things AAA is emphasizing this year.

“We ask everyone to be aware of moving over for road workers. This hits close to home for us at AAA; these are preventable car crashes. It’s not just the law, or something you can get a ticket for; it could be difference between life or death,” Garrity said.