SAN BERNARDINO - (INT) - Memorial Day is traditionally the highest travel day in the Inland Empire region besides Wednesday before Thanksgiving.

Caltrans, District 8 is advising motorists that experts are predicting a 4.7% increase in travel nationwide.

Caltrans expects lengthy delays on Interstate 15 (I-15) in the Cajon Pass and also State Route’s 60, 91, Interstates 10, 210, and 215, beginning Thursday afternoon through Monday evening, May 21 through 25.

The projected storm for Thursday and Friday will not make driving any easier.

• The 2015 Memorial Day forecast is expected to mark the highest travel volume for the holiday in 10 years, since 2005.

• The 4.7 percent increase over Memorial Day 2014 is the highest forecast growth rate for any of the holidays tracked by AAA since Independence Day 2012.

• More than 88 percent of travelers (33 million) will travel by automobile, an increase of 5.3 percent over last Memorial Day.

Caltrans has reviewed traffic volumes from previous Memorial Day weekends and predicts volumes could increase as much as 1,500 vehicles per hour this Friday on northbound I-15 between Rancho Cucamonga and Hesperia.

Delays will be heaviest through Cajon Pass on northbound I-15 Thursday and Friday afternoons and on southbound I-15 Sunday and Monday afternoons. Also be advised that I-10 travelers to Arizona and back will also experience some travel delays between Indio and Beaumont, more likely westbound I-10 returning on Sunday and Monday.

Story Date: May 25, 2015