Labor Day travelers face traffic congestion, high gas prices

— -- Motorists in the New York, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., areas will likely face the worst traffic Friday, as Americans head out for the last holiday weekend of summer.

And Boston, San Francisco and Miami will be close behind among cities with the worst Labor Day getaway gridlock, according to INRIX, a company that analyzes traffic for mobile applications and governments.

"The best advice we would give to folks is leave early or leave late," says Jim Bak, spokesman for INRIX. "Otherwise you're going to spend a lot of time looking at the car in front of you through your windshield."

An estimated 33 million people will travel at least 50 miles from their homes from Thursday through Monday, the AAA auto club predicts. .

About 85% of them are expected to drive, AAA estimates, and they'll pay more for it. The national average price of gasoline hit $3.83 Thursday. That's almost 20 cents higher than the $3.67 at the start of the summer travel season on Memorial Day and the $3.65 last Labor Day.

"Despite the sluggish economy, Americans are continuing to prioritize their holiday travel," says Cyndie Brough, a AAA spokeswoman. "They are absorbing the high prices by economizing in other areas," such as looking for free breakfasts at hotel rooms, she says.

Traffic and high gasoline prices aren't the only obstacles for some. Travelers around the Gulf Coast will have to contend with the remnants from Hurricane Isaac that barreled ashore Tuesday near New Orleans.

Craig Fugate, head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, urged people to pay attention to weather reports because of power failures and the threat of flash flooding in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida following Hurricane Isaac.

Traffic and aviation analysts say the storm's effect should be limited to the region.

"It's still disruptive, but less disruptive than at some other times," says John Heimlich, chief economist for the industry group Airlines for America, who says weekends are busier for flying in June and July.

Traffic is projected to be worst in cities where heavy commuters collide with vacationers.

For New Yorkers, that means trouble getting through tunnels or over bridges — and a slow ride to the Hamptons, INRIX figures. In Los Angeles, the congested Interstate 5 will average 20 mph, tripling the commute along the Santa Ana Freeway. And in Washington, drivers will be dashing to reach the beach.

So-called gateway cities such as Boston and Atlanta will also slow as freight traffic jockeys with commuters and tourists, INRIX predicts.

One traffic bright spot: the Seattle area, where gasoline prices are topping $4 a gallon.

"With Seattle's fuel prices soaring well above the national average, we're predicting fewer delays as travelers leave town for Labor Day than we're seeing across the rest of the country," Bak says.