Best, Worst Times to Travel Maryland Highways for Christmas 2016

BALTIMORE, MD — With mild temperatures forecast and record numbers of travelers taking to the skies and highways, when should you time your Christmas trip to avoid traffic delays and aggravation?

A record number of more than 103 million Americans and nearly 2.2 million Marylanders are expected to travel the Christmas 2016 through New Year's period, says AAA Mid-Atlantic. This represents a 1.5 percent and 1.4 percent increase, respectively.

So the key, say experts, is to leave for your destination early. The first half of the week is optimum; Friday and Saturday, Dec. 23 and 24, will be busy travel days with packed highways.

The year-end holiday travel period is defined as Friday, Dec. 23, to Monday, Jan. 2, 2017. Because two holidays fall within that period, travel is often spread out. However, there will be pockets of heavy congestion.

With many school districts closed Friday and early closings for many offices, AAA anticipates Friday, as well as Saturday, Christmas Eve, to be the busiest times to travel on the front end of the 11-day travel holiday. Also, with Chanukah starting at sundown on Christmas Eve this year, that could mean additional traffic that travelers don’t typically expect.

“Your best odds are to leave earlier in the day and earlier in the week,” WTOP Traffic Reporter Dave Dildine said.

With Christmas being on Sunday this year, Dildine said, “The later you wait in the day and the later you wait in the week, the heavier the traffic’s going to be.”

Next week as you try to return home, Monday, Dec. 26, roads will be quite busy with shoppers searching for after-Christmas sales and as travelers heading home so they can return to work on Tuesday.

Middays should have heavier-than-average traffic, Dildine added, “so middays aren’t a great time to leave.”

On the back end of the holiday, Friday, Dec. 30, will be another busy travel day with people getting away for the New Year’s Eve weekend. And Monday, Jan. 2, should be another full travel day as families return home; students and many employees have that day off.

The increase in holiday travel this year is being driven by additional consumer spending, a result of improvements in the labor market and rising wage, along with low gas prices and increased consumer optimism, says AAA.

“This year more Americans, including Marylanders, will travel to celebrate the holidays and ring in the New Year than ever before,” said Ragina Cooper Averella, public and government affairs manager for AAA Mid-Atlantic. “Rising incomes and continued low gas prices, despite the recent rise at the pump, should make for a joyous holiday travel season.”

As of Dec. 19, the national average price for a gallon of gas was $2.24 per gallon, nearly a quarter more than the average price on New Year’s Day 2016 ($2). Most drivers will pay the second-cheapest New Year’s Day gas prices since 2009, when the national average was $1.62. Maryland’s average price as of Monday was $2.29 per gallon, which is 32 cents higher than the state’s average for New Year’s Day 2016.

AAA said that nationally, gas prices are slightly higher for 2016 than they were for 2015, but they remain significantly lower than 2014.

The long range forecast indicates that rain showers could be possible on Dec. 23 and Christmas Eve, and that rain is possible during the week after Christmas. Preliminary forecasts say that temperatures are expected to be in the 40s on most days, and maybe hit a toasty 51 on Christmas Day, according to Weather.com.

To check on road conditions anywhere in Maryland before you climb in the car, check the MD511.org site on your computer, tablet or phone.

Prepare Before Getting on the Road
AAA offers the following tips for travelers who may encounter winter weather conditions:

• Check windshield wipers and inspect tires to ensure safe drivability before setting out.
• Pack an emergency kit containing a snow shovel, flashlight, ice scraper, jumper cables, warning devices and extra warm clothing for everyone riding in the vehicle.
• When driving, slow down and do not tailgate.
• Leave following distances to a minimum of five to six seconds to allow additional braking room should a sudden stop become necessary.

Before setting out on a winter road trip, travelers are encouraged to download the free AAA Mobile app for iPhone, iPad and Android at AAA.com/mobile.

All travelers can use the app to map a route, find lowest gas prices, and search for repair shops, while AAA members can access exclusive member discounts, make travel arrangements, and call 1-800-AAA-HELP to request roadside assistance.
»Patch file photo