MD Thanksgiving Travel: Drive Times To Avoid, Weather Outlook

Maryland's roads are likely to be jam-packed with Thanksgiving traffic this week, and AAA projects 45.5 million Americans will hit the road for the holiday, up 3.2 percent compared with last year. This is the third straight Thanksgiving that travel volume by Marylanders will top the one million mark. Roads in the Baltimore-Washington, D.C., region could be among the most congested in the country, with an increase on Maryland roads by 1.5 percent this Thanksgiving compared with last year, according to the Maryland Transportation Authority.

More than one million Maryland residents are expected to travel over the holiday weekend, which would mean a 3.4 increase from a year ago, says AAA Mid-Atlantic. Wednesday will be the heaviest day for travel, with Tuesday second busiest during the holiday, the MDTA says. More than 2.2 million are expected on Maryland highways, bridges and tunnels this Thanksgiving.

"The 2017 holiday weekend will see the highest Thanksgiving travel volume since 2005 with 1.6 million more people taking to the nation's roads, skies, rails and waterways compared with last year," AAA said in a statement.

AAA expects most drivers will pay the highest Thanksgiving gas prices since 2014, when the national average was $2.80 and $2.83 in Maryland, the vast majority of holiday travelers are still planning to hit the road. on Tuesday, the national average for regular gasoline is $2.54 per gallon, an increase of 8 cents from the previous month’s price and 40 cents higher than last year’s price of $2.14. Maryland’s average is $2.50 per gallon, reflecting an increase of 12 cents from last month and a 33 cents rise compared to a year ago.

SEE ALSO:

• Best, Worst Thanksgiving Travel Times In Maryland
  
• Best I-95 Drive Times On Thanksgiving 2017 In Maryland: MDTA
• Thanksgiving 2017: Record Travel Likely, Tips From BWI Airport
• Google Predicts Best, Worst Thanksgiving Travel Times In Maryland
• Police To Ramp Up I-95, Chesapeake House Patrols For Thanksgiving
• Maryland House I-95 Police Patrols To Ramp Up For Thanksgiving

More Thanksgiving travel facts to know from AAA:

• Cheaper airfare: Consumers will pay the cheapest average airfare since 2013.
• Fueling up: Drivers will pay the highest Thanksgiving gas prices since 2014.
• Holiday high: Car rental daily rates will hit a five-year holiday high at $70/day, which may be due to an increase in domestic demand and cost of newer vehicles.

While rain is expected to hug the Atlantic coast, and could lead to airline delays in Boston and New York City for a time on Wednesday, according to an Accuweather release, Maryland will see clearing skies as Wednesday goes along. And the weather on Thanksgiving and Friday will be clear, if cool, with high temperatures in mid-40s to low 50s.

Here's some more important info if you'll be hitting the road this Thanksgiving.

Hitting the Highway

To help drivers avoid the traffic, authorities are offering up the best times to travel on I-95 in Maryland:

• Before 6 a.m. and after 11 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday
• Before 9 a.m. and after 9 p.m. Thursday to Sunday
• MDTA Police will be patrolling for impaired, distracted and aggressive drivers as well as those without seat belts. The agency will also have crews out helping stranded motorists; call #77 if your vehicle becomes disabled.
• Construction-related lane closures will be lifted with the exception of the left shoulder on I-95 north of the Fort McHenry Tunnel.
• In addition, two-way traffic will remain in effect on the Patapsco River Flats bridge on I-895 due to ongoing bridge deck replacement; the MDTA suggests taking an alternate route.
• Drivers around Perryville may notice more police on the roads this week. Officers from the JFK Highway barrack will be patrolling Interstate 95 north of Baltimore to the Delaware line with a focus on minimizing delays from traffic violations and crashes during the Thanksgiving rush, police reported.
• State troopers will also be out in force at the Maryland House on Interstate 95 near Aberdeen and the Chesapeake House near Perryville.

Best Time To Leave

At peak travel times — in Maryland, Google says that's 3 p.m. Wednesday — drivers could experience serious delays. Drivers should leave a 3 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 22, to avoid the congestion, according to the company's results.

When you're on your way home, an early start on Friday is your best bet, which doesn't give you much time at grandmother's house. Get going at 4 a.m. on Friday and you'll be in good shape. Wait until Saturday at 4 p.m., though, and a stuffing-and-cranberries hangover won't be your only problem.

These are the projected traffic counts from the Maryland Transportation Authority for Thanksgiving 2017, from Tuesday, Nov. 21, to Sunday, Nov. 26:

• More than 915,000 vehicles on Fort McHenry Tunnel (I-95)
• Nearly 815,000 vehicles on John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway (I-95)
• More than 530,000 vehicles on Bay Bridge (US 50/301)
• Combined 1,150,000 on Key Bridge (I-695), Harbor Tunnel (I-895), Hatem Bridge (US 40) and Nice Bridge (US 301)

At the Airport

Airline industry officials say this Thanksgiving season more than 2.4 million passengers per day are expected to pass through security checkpoints nationwide each day leading up to Thanksgiving, including about 30,000 and 40,000 travelers per day who will be screened at Baltimore Washington International Airport checkpoint.

For comparison, the average daily number of passengers screened at BWI Airport in October was 28,000.
The busiest travel days will be Tuesday and Wednesday, Nov. 21 and 22, followed by Nov. 26, the Sunday after Thanksgiving, says Lisa Farbstein, acting director of media relations for the Transportation Security Administration.

• To help get passengers get in and out of BWI Airport, the hourly parking garage adjacent to the terminal is free for the first hour to pick up or drop off family members or friends starting Nov. 15 through Jan. 15. The airport's Cell Phone Lot will also be enlarged through the holidays to handle more vehicles. The free location lets drivers wait away from the airport terminal until arriving passengers call.
• Also during the holidays, commercial vehicles are required to use the upper level/departures level roadway to drop off and pick up all customers. This change includes hotel shuttles, off-airport parking shuttles, and Uber and Lyft drivers.

Gas prices

GasBuddy predicts that the national average gas price this Thanksgiving will be $2.53 per gallon, the highest it's been since 2014, though not as high as the peak on Thanksgiving in 2012 ($3.44). In Maryland, the average gas price was $2.50 per gallon as of Monday afternoon, higher than the national average of $2.533.

Prices in the Baltimore area ranged from $2.46 to $2.22 a gallon on Tuesday, according to GasBuddy. In suburban DC, gas in Bethesda was selling for $2.48 to $ 2.27 a gallon.

GasBuddy offers some tips to cut the cost of filling up:

• Watch out for state lines. Because of differing state taxes, in some extreme cases, drivers can spend an extra $25 when refueling the tank if on the wrong side of the line according to a recent GasBuddy study.
• Avoid gas stations near the highway. Gas station on a long stretch of highway will usually be pricey. If possible, plan ahead or drive a little farther toward the nearest town to find a cheaper station.

Help On The Road

Before setting out for the weekend, drivers can download the free AAA Mobile app for iPhone, iPad and Android at AAA.com/mobile. The app offers anyone access to map a route, find lowest gas prices, and search for AAA approved repair facilities, while AAA members can access exclusive member discounts, make travel arrangements, and request AAA roadside assistance, as well.

• For 24/7 Bay Bridge traffic information call 1-877-BAYSPAN (1-877-229-7726) or visit Baybridge.com
• For real-time updates on major incidents follow the MDTA on Twitter at twitter.com/TheMDTA.
• Find the agency at facebook.com/TheMDTA and mdta.maryland.gov. Call 511 or visit MD511.org for statewide travel information.

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