Nov. 20 Is Worst Thanksgiving Travel Day In DC; Top Bottlenecks

WASHINGTON, DC — Thanksgiving holiday traffic on the region's Capital Beltway will crawl along at 7 miles per hour late this afternoon, according to projections by INRIX, in collaboration with AAA Mid-Atlantic. Tuesday is also the absolute worst time to be caught on the Outer Loop of the Beltway, especially during the evening rush hour at 6:15 p.m., when travel speeds will drop to 23 miles per hour, as holiday travelers and commuters converge at one of the biggest bottlenecks in the Washington metro area.

The travel experts say that Wednesday, Nov. 21, is the worst day and time to travel for holiday travelers taking Interstate 95 North, Interstate 270 North, and U.S. 50 East, according to data from INRIX. A news release from AAA urges drivers to do everything in your power to avoid southbound I-95 around Fredericksburg, especially at US17/US-1 at exit number 126 to Massaponax and Fredericksburg.

“With 1.2 million Washington area residents hitting the highways for the holiday, travel delays will become a contagion on area freeways and highways on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and on Thanksgiving Eve, as virtually everyone experiences a significant increase in travel times and traffic congestion,” said John B. Townsend II, AAA Mid-Atlantic’s manager of public and government affairs, in a news release. “Holiday traffic, and any poor soul caught up in it, will creep, crawl and slither along. Given this, holiday travelers will be forced to add ‘extra buffer time’ to their trips to reach their Thanksgiving destinations on time.”

The 2018 Thanksgiving holiday weekend will see the most vehicles on the road since 2005, with 2.5 million more people traveling compared to a year ago. In the DC region, 1.3 million people are expected to travel 50 miles or more from their homes over the long holiday weekend, AAA says.

Highways will be at their most packed again on Sunday, Nov. 25, as holiday travelers head home after the long weekend.

In the Washington, D.C., region, the absolute worst time to start your holiday trip is between 5 and 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 20, when Capital Beltway travel will take 2.5 times longer than normal, say the transportation analysts at INRIX.

Other hotspots and trouble spots include MD-295 North at I-195; I-95 S at VA 234/Exit 152; I-495 CW at MD-337/Allentown Road/Exit 9; and MS 295 N at MD-100.

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AAA projects 54.3 million Americans will journey 50 miles or more away from home this Thanksgiving, Nov. 22, a 4.8 percent increase over last year.

Commuters and holiday travelers will experience a 164 percent increase in travel delays along
Interstate 270 North early Wednesday afternoon, beginning as early as 2:15 p.m. Travel speed will decrease to 25 mph on I-270 in Maryland from the Capital Beltway (I-495) to I-70.

Drivers along U.S. 50 Eastbound will experience an 87 percent increase in travel delays, as highway speeds decrease to 31 miles per hour. More than 465,000 vehicles will cross the William Preston Lane, Jr. Memorial (Bay) Bridge (US 50/301) in both directions during the busy Thanksgiving holiday period, estimates the Maryland Transportation Authority.

Travelers taking Interstate 95 in Virginia and Maryland will see increases huge increase in travel delays. That is especially true along I-95 North, Wednesday afternoon beginning at 1:15 p.m. Travel delays will increase 72 percent as highway speeds drop to 25 mph.

INRIX is also forecasting the top 15 hotspots for the Thanksgiving getaway. It ranks the most congested segments and the major bottlenecks for freeways and expressways during the holiday getaway period. The list includes various exits along northbound and southbound I-95/I-495 (Capital Beltway), Topping the list is I-95 S at US 17/US-1/Exit 126.

This underscores the fact that “routes to/from Northern Virginia are likely to be congested mid-morning to evening on Tuesday as well as on Saturday,” warns the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT). Things won’t be much better along the Baltimore-Washington Parkway (Maryland 295 North) to Interstate 195, which “provides a high speed route to the passenger terminal at the Thurgood Marshall Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI).”

Then there is Interstate 95 south in Northern Virginia at Exit 152 to Manassas and Dumfries, a terrible bottleneck.

Another top hotspot is Maryland 295 North, the Baltimore-Washington Parkway, at Maryland Route 100 (MD 100) in Anne Arundel County. It ranks fifth on the top 15 list of holiday getaway hotspots.

Occupying the 15th place on the hotspot list is yet another exit on the Capital Beltway. It is Exit 19 at I-95/495/US 50 (John Hanson Highway) from Washington, D.C. to Annapolis and vice versa.

Before heading out on a trip for Thanksgiving, download the free AAA Mobile app for iPhone, iPad and Android. Travelers can use the app to map a route, find the lowest gas prices, access exclusive member discounts, make travel arrangements, request AAA roadside assistance, find AAA Approved Auto Repair facilities and more. Learn more at AAA.com/mobile.

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