Memorial Day traffic snarls freeway

Thousands of motorists made their way through the valley, headed home after a three-day weekend. Many found themselves stuck in a serious traffic jam. Westbound Interstate 10 slowed to a crawl as travelers began their trips home. Travel times more than doubled in places, creating a frustrating situation for many. “You guys know there’s no accident, it’s just traffic,” said Emilio Lerman who was traveling home to Victorville. I’m just going to head back and get the 62 and head back there.”

Rather than stare at brake lights, Lerma and his family made the decision to exit and double back, certain a different route would be better than waiting in line. “Now it’s going to take me an hour and a half at the most,” said Lerma. “This one over here is going to take my three hours, four hours easy.”

AAA says more than 36 million people hit the road this Memorial Day weekend, the highest number since 2005. The main reason according to the auto club, similar if not cheaper gas prices compared to this time last year. “I was just down here, I don’t mind paying 60 dollars to fill up my tank,” said Mitch Krmpotic, who was traveling to Sacramento.

Good gas prices or not, Krmpotic still wanted to find a way out of the gridlock and the heat for a little while. He took a break at the Whitewater river. “You know, you’re not in the rush, you’re saving fuel, it’s not frustrating,” said Krmpotic.

The California Highway Patrol reminds everyone to buckle up, take your time, and be careful.