Memorial Day forecast: Gas a painful $5.14 a gallon, O’Hare expects 1.75 million passengers
Making a Memorial Day getaway? Here’s the latest in Midwest gas prices, Chicago airport crowds and traffic.
If you’re filling up your tank in the suburbs, gas on Friday hovered around an average of $5.14 for a gallon of regular. That’s down from $5.28 a week ago, but painful in contrast with $3.55 last year.
The cheapest gas in neighboring states may be found in Indiana where the average for a gallon of regular is $4. Next, in order of cheapness: Missouri at $4.20; Iowa at $4.24; Kentucky at $4.34; Wisconsin at $4.44; and Michigan at $4.72.
• O’Hare and Midway international airports predicted a surge in passengers between Thursday and Tuesday, the Chicago Department of Aviation reported.
O’Hare will accommodate 1.75 million travelers over the holiday, a 15.6% spike from last year, with over 316,000 flyers steaming through its terminals Friday.
At Midway about 292,000 people are expected this long weekend, a 3% uptick from 2025.
Travelers are advised to arrive early for domestic flights with lengthy lines anticipated at security checkpoints. For real-time checkpoint wait times, visit FlyChicago.com.
Flying with kids? O’Hare has a family lounge in Terminal 2 with a play area that will entertain toddlers and young children with stroller parking.
• Over 2 million vehicles will squeeze onto Illinois tollways Friday compared with 1.7 million typically, while 8.5 million in total will use the system this holiday.
The agency is temporarily lifting construction lane closures over the holiday, but some work zones will remain in place. For example: Ramps from westbound I-290 to northbound I-294 and from westbound I-290 to southbound I-294 will be closed; the ramp connecting westbound I-90 to southbound Route 31 remains closed; and the ramp from eastbound I-88 to southbound I-294 is down to a single lane.
• Traveling by train to or from the city? You may be out of luck, a DePaul University analysis indicates.
More than half of Amtrak trains on Chicago routes were sold out as of Friday, with 13 of 15 inbound runs sold out, transportation expert and DePaul Professor Joseph Schwieterman noted. “Outbound trains on Monday are also tight.”