WASHINGTON — Hundreds of thousands of travelers from the D.C. metro area are taking a trip for the holiday weekend to observe Memorial Day and enjoy the start of the summer travel season.

About 966,000 area residents will travel at least 50 miles, AAA Mid-Atlantic projects. That figure is a 1.6 percent increase over last year, and the highest number recorded in 11 years.

Nearly all of the travelers — 90 percent — will be going by car.

“The great American road trip is back, due to cheaper gas prices,” said AAA spokesman John Townsend.

“We’re seeing this play out for Memorial Day, with a projected 869,600 people in the Washington metro area planning to drive to their Memorial Day destinations.”

As for everyone else, 69,100 people are flying and 27,300 are using other modes of travel.