Thousands expected to travel through BNA this weekend

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Nearly 44 million people are expected to travel over Memorial Day weekend, according to AAA estimates. That’s the second highest Memorial Day travel forecast for this weekend since the agency began reporting the data in 2000.

Nashville International Airport (BNA) projects close to 40,000 people to fly through the airport Friday alone, which is also set to be the busiest day nationwide.

We’ve already seen long lines at BNA on a normal day. Drivers might be wondering how congestion might be impacted between the holiday and new construction at the airport. In March, Exit 216C on I-40 East to Donelson Pike/State Route 255 North closed permanently as work continues on the I-40 Interchange Project.

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News 2 asked BNA officials how they plan to mitigate the congestion this holiday weekend. Officials responded with the following statement:

“With Memorial Day weekend marking the start of summer travel, Nashville International Airport® (BNA®) is taking steps to ensure a smooth journey for all passengers. We will increase both parking and valet services, along with coordinating with the Department of Public Safety (DPS) to manage traffic flow throughout the holiday weekend. To further expedite arrivals, we’ve added two dedicated lanes for traffic using Exit 216A, accommodating an additional 1,000 vehicles per hour. Additionally, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will be operating at full capacity with all security lanes open to minimize wait times. BNA also encourages travelers to take advantage of our free and low-cost short-term parking options, as well as our free cell phone waiting lot for picking up arriving passengers.

– Stacey Nickens, Vice President of Marketing and Corporate Communications at Nashville International Airport® (BNA®)

News 2 also spoke with travelers today as well. Many had mixed feelings about the travel situation to the airport between congestion and new construction-related closures.

“I dropped my cousin off last night and she was almost late so I’m three hours early,” said Vanessa Warren, a Murfreesboro resident traveling to Los Angeles, California for the weekend. “I travel a lot, so I know definitely always come early cause you never know what you’re going to get with Nashville traffic, and they also have some construction there and everything has been directed different ways.”

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“Actually, the construction into the airport wasn’t too bad today, we expected a lot worse, so it went pretty smooth,” Christi Lassen and Geoff Defrance both said while they were waiting for their flight to Florida.

Departing Passengers (projected) from BNA:

• Friday, May 24 – 38,000

• Saturday, May 25 – 28,000

• Sunday, May 26 – 33,000

• Monday, May 27 – 32,000

• Tuesday, May 28 – 31,000

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