Memorial Day traffic: Best and worst times to travel, cross Maryland's Bay Bridge

If you thought last year's holiday traffic was a bumper-to-bumper nightmare, brace yourself. AAA is predicting that this will be the busiest Memorial Day for travel on record.

Before you fire up the GPS and willingly merge into the Capital Beltway parking lot, here is your definitive guide to the best and worst times to hit the road this long weekend.

Best and worst travel times

An estimated 45 million Americans will journey 50 miles or more from May 21 to 25 this year, with 39.1 million expected to travel by car.

Experts predict that drivers will experience the greatest congestion during the afternoon on Thursday, May 21, and Friday, May 22, as afternoon rush hour mixes with the mass exodus of weekend vacationers.

Best times to travel by car:

• Thursday, May 21: After 9 p.m.
• Friday, May 22: Before 11 a.m.
• Saturday, May 23: Before 11 a.m.
• Sunday, May 24: Minimal traffic
• Monday, May 25: Before 10 a.m.

Worst times to travel by car

• Thursday, May 21: Noon to 9 p.m.
• Friday, May 22: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Saturday, May 23: Noon to 5 p.m.
• Sunday, May 24: Minimal traffic
• Monday, May 25: Noon to 5 p.m.

DC travel

The absolute worst time to escape the D.C. area is Thursday at 4:15 p.m. Travelers heading toward Baltimore on the Baltimore-Washington Parkway North could face a 116% increase in traffic.

The Maryland Transportation Authority says that more than 335,000 vehicles will cross the Bay Bridge between Friday, May 22, and Monday, May 25. Here are the best times to cross during Memorial Day weekend:

Eastbound

• Thursday, May 21: Before 10 a.m. and after 10 p.m.
• Friday, May 22: Before 8 a.m. and after 10 p.m.
• Saturday, May 23: Before 7 a.m. and after 4 p.m.
• Sunday, May 24: Before 10 a.m. and after 5 p.m.
• Monday, May 25: Before 11 a.m. and after 4 p.m.
• Tuesday, May 26: Before 10 a.m. and after 8 p.m.

Westbound

• Thursday, May 21: Before 11 a.m. and after 6 p.m.
• Friday, May 22: Before 8 a.m. and after 7 p.m.
• Saturday, May 23: Before 11 a.m. and after 5 p.m.
• Sunday, May 24: Before 11 a.m. and after 5 p.m.
• Monday, May 25: Before 9 a.m. and after 10 p.m.
• Tuesday, May 26: Before 6 a.m. and after 6 p.m.

Officials urge drivers to familiarize themselves with the bridge’s lane signals before making the trip across.

RED X means the lane is closed. You MUST NOT enter or travel in any lane over with a RED X signal. Prepare to vacate the lane beneath the YELLOW X signal and move to a lane with a DOWNWARD GREEN ARROW. Motorists can drive in the lane beneath the GREEN ARROW signal.