Traveling from NYC this Memorial Day weekend? Plan for major traffic and delays.

Memorial Day weekend is upon New York City — time for vacations, cookouts and traffic.

Get ready for some long trips. AAA predicts that during peak congestion time for the New York region on Monday, a trip from the Jersey Shore to New York City via the Garden State Parkway would take an expected 2 hours and 24 minutes — 92% longer than last year.

Nationally, AAA anticipates a record-breaking 45.1 million people traveling 50 miles or more from home. Transit officials expect the vast majority of people will travel by car, but the NYC area’s airports, trains and subways are also expected to feel the heat. Some of those travelers are going to be headed through chaos-plagued Newark Liberty International Airport.

“This Memorial Day looks like it'll be the heaviest, perhaps in decades,” transportation engineer and former New York City Traffic Commissioner Sam Schwartz said. “And with the cloudy and cool weather we've had, I think a lot of people may try to stretch it out, Memorial Day weekend.”

Behind the wheel

If you’re traveling by car and not reading this from the passenger seat, you probably left too late. Schwartz said roads started filling up Thursday. He recommends being on the road no later than 11 a.m. Friday or noon Saturday.

“If you're planning to travel, my suggestion is the mornings are always going to be easier.” Schwartz said.

Gas this year is cheaper than last Memorial Day, but the same rule generally applies year-to-year according to AAA: The most expensive stations are those directly off interstates.

Schwartz anticipates the Verrazano Bridge, Lincoln Tunnel, Cross Bronx Expressway and the George Washington Bridge will see the most gruesome traffic. He’s predicting bumper-to-bumper traffic jams.

Congestion pricing has been changing traffic patterns all year, with the MTA estimating an average of 82,000 fewer drivers are in Manhattan below 60th Street every day. But Schwartz said that most travelers avoid Manhattan altogether when it comes to Memorial Day travel, so he doesn’t anticipate the new toll, which he’s supported, affecting travel plans much.

There’s an about-average amount of road closures to deal with over the weekend, with the city’s full list here. Expect some around Forest Hills and College Point for Memorial Day weekend parades Sunday. Still, MTA says that while there are no planned tunnel closures as of Thursday afternoon, riding a bus remains the most efficient way to navigate New York during the holiday weekend.

A full list of MTA suggestions for travel can be found on the agency's website.

By air

Airports are also expected to get crowded. The Port Authority expects about 2.1 million passengers will travel through JFK, Newark, LaGuardia and New York-Stewart International airports from Thursday through Monday, nearly as many as during last year’s record-setting airport travel.

The Port Authority says it expects the high-volume travel weekend to greatly affect wait times at security checks. This is also the first Memorial Day since the Transportation Security Administration stopped accepting state-issued identification that isn’t REAL ID-compliant, and warns that travelers without the IDs could be subject to extra scrutiny. A list of other acceptable forms of identification is here.

Several parking lot changes for all of the Port Authority’s airports can be found here. LaGuardia is continuing its year-round free service of the LaGuardia Link Q70 bus line.

Schwartz said taking extra time to get to the airport isn’t just for peace of mind this Memorial Day, but essential — the former traffic commissioner suggested an extra 45 minutes at minimum.

Consider adding a bit to that if you’re going through Newark. Over the past month, the airport has been plagued by a slew of issues including equipment failures, communication breakdowns, FAA staffing shortages — issues so bad some staff members have gone on gone on trauma leave. The feds have ordered airlines to reduce their flights reduced flights through Newark until October. In a potential understatement of the uncertainty, the Port Authority says in an announcement travelers through Newark “should review their flight status before departing for the airport."

Updates for JFK, Newark and LaGuardia are also on their Twitter feeds.

By bus

Saturday and Sunday, MTA uses are planned to run on a normal schedule. However, on Memorial Day, all routes will run on a Sunday schedule.

In the subway

The subways and associated closures, changes and reroutes are chaotic right now, but not necessarily because of Memorial Day. The only change planned for the holiday will happen on Monday, Memorial Day, when trains are scheduled to run on their Sunday schedules.

Now and beyond this weekend, changes are planned for the 5, C, D, F, G, N, Q and R lines. Notably, the G is only running from Court Square to Bedford-Nostrand Avenue. There’s a shuttle that runs every 20 mins from Bedford-Nostrand Avenues to Hoyt-Schermerhorn Streets.

The MTA recommends commuters download the TrainTime App to stay updated on all track changes for the weekend and beyond.

PATH service on Memorial Day will run on a Saturday schedule.

On the rails

You know it’s summer because the Long Island Rail Road’s Cannonball, which runs from Penn Station to Montauk, had its first trip of the season Thursday. This train is planned to run Thursdays and Fridays all season long.

The Metro North and East of Hudson lines will have extra service through the weekend as well. Metro-North's East of Hudson will run on a Sunday schedule on Memorial Day.

And remember, NJ Transit train engineers are no longer on strike. So, no worries there — well, so long as we’re not starting another summer of hell.