Car Culture

These are the worst times to drive during Labor Day weekend

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By Jasmine Heyward

1 minute to read

With the Monday holiday and university move-ins, traffic around Boston is expected to be heavy this weekend.

If you’re trying to avoid the worst of it, traffic app Waze has some recommendations based off data from last year.

Before the weekend

Wednesday and Thursday should see an increase in traffic throughout the morning until about 2 p.m., according to Waze’s data.

On Friday, the worst traffic is expected to occur between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Last year, Waze users also reported 21 percent more police officers on the road.

Over the weekend

If traveling Saturday or Sunday, you should look to avoid the morning hours again, specifically  between 8-10 a.m. on Saturday and 9-11 a.m. on Sunday. Waze users also reported an increase in police presence on Sunday, similar to Friday.

At the end of the weekend

Returning home from a holiday weekend trip “can be just as time-consuming as leaving for one,” Waze spokeswoman Megan Stoner wrote in an email.

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If you must return Monday, it’s good to do so before 10 a.m. Another option is to return Tuesday afternoon, after 2 p.m.

Waze data predicts the traffic for the upcoming Labor Day weekend.

Live traffic information

For live updates throughout the weekend, drivers can do the following: