The fast-approaching
Thanksgiving
holiday is expected to bring record-breaking travel numbers, accompanied by
severe traffic congestion in some of the nation’s busiest cities. According
to AAA and transportation analytics company INRIX, certain metro areas are
likely to see dramatic increases in traffic, with some regions experiencing
more than double their usual congestion.
New
York City is projected to see the largest spike, with traffic along the
Long Island Expressway between the city and the Hamptons expected to increase
by 133 percent on Tuesday afternoon. Washington,
D.C., is also bracing for a significant surge, with US-50 E toward
Annapolis likely to see a 120 percent rise in congestion on the same day.
Seattle’s I-90 W,
leading from the city to Ellensburg, is expected to see traffic that is 119
percent worse than usual on Tuesday afternoon, while drivers on Boston’s I-95 N
heading to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, can anticipate a 117 percent increase in
delays. Los
Angeles, perennially notorious for its gridlock, will reach its peak on
Wednesday evening, with congestion along I-5 N toward Bakersfield projected to
increase by 111 percent.
Houston’s traffic
will be less severe by comparison, with a 30 percent rise in congestion
expected along I-45 N from Galveston to Houston, with Monday, December 2
marking the city’s worst day for travel. The Windy City will also see less of a
traffic surge at 45 percent along the I-65 N from Indianapolis to Chicago, with
Sunday, December 1 being the worst in terms of freeway crowding.
According to Travel
+ Leisure, INRIX transportation analyst Bob Pishue advises drivers to check
local news alerts and get updated in real-time using apps to avoid delays,
particularly, “in metropolitan areas like Boston, New York, LA, Seattle, and
Washington, DC, where traffic is expected to be more than double what it
typically is on a normal day.”
This year, more
than 71 million Americans are expected to travel by car between November 26
and December 2, an increase of 1.3 million drivers compared to last year.
Tuesday and Wednesday are forecasted to be the busiest travel days, with
congestion peaking in the late afternoon and early evening hours.
Travelers seeking
to avoid the worst of the holiday gridlock are encouraged to hit the road on
Thanksgiving Day itself or depart during off-peak hours of the days leading up
to the autumnal holiday.
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