Best, Worst Thanksgiving Travel Times, MD Traffic Hotspots

BALTIMORE, MD — Thanksgiving holiday traffic on Maryand's packed highways can turn any trip into torture, so travel experts have shared the best and worst times to make the drive. The 2018 holiday weekend will see the highest number of vehicles on the road since 2005, with 1.1 million more people traveling compared to last year. AAA Mid-Atlantic projects a 4.6 percent increase from last year's Thanksgiving travel period and the fourth consecutive year travel counts for the holiday will exceed one million.

Delays and short fuses will start on Thanksgiving week during the early evening commute hours, with travel times starting to increase on Monday, Nov. 19. In most cases, the best days to travel will be on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 23 or Nov. 24. Highways will be at their most packed on Sunday, Nov. 25, as most holiday travelers head home after the long weekend.

“As the economy continues to grow, along with wages, disposable income, and household wealth, many Marylanders are feeling enough confidence to not hold back on spending, which is evident by this year’s robust holiday travel forecast,” said Ragina Cooper Averella, manager of public and government affairs at AAA Mid-Atlantic.

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INRIX identified 15 hotspots around the Baltimore metro area where drivers can expect to find the worst congestion during the Thanksgiving holiday travel period:

1. MD-295 N @ I-195, Northbound
2. MD-295 N @ MD-100, Northbound
3. I-95 N @ MD-100/Exit 43, Northbound
4. I-695 CCW @ Edmondson Ave/Exit 14, Counterclockwise
5. I-95 N @ Boston St/Exit 57, Northbound
6. I-695 CW @ MD-26/Exit 18, Clockwise
7. MD-295 S @ MD-193, Southbound
8. I-695 CW @ MD-41/Perring Pkwy/Exit 30, Clockwise
9. I-695 CCE @ Greenspring Ave/Exit 22, Counterclockwise
10. I-95 S @ MD-175/Exit 41, Southbound
11. MD-3 N @ MD-175/Millersville Rd/Annapolis Rd, Northbound
12. I-895 N @ Harbor Tunnel Thwy (North), Northbound
13. MD-295 S @ MD-450, Southbound
14. I-95 N @ MD-22/Exit 85, Northbound
15. I-695 CCW @ MD-45/York Rd/Exit 26, Counterclockwise

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.

"The last place you will want to be during those hours is on the Capital Beltway Clockwise," said John B. Townsend II, AAA Mid-Atlantic’s manager of public and government affairs.

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.

Expect to pay the highest Thanksgiving gas prices in four years, with a national average of $2.74, an increase of 19 cents from a year ago. “Motorists seemed to have become accustomed to this year’s more expensive gas prices, as they are not letting higher fuel costs deter them from taking Thanksgiving road trips,” said Averella.

Check traffic conditions before you hit the road:

• Call 1-877-BAYSPAN (1-877-229-7726) for 24/7 Bay Bridge traffic conditions.
• Visit baybridge.com to view traffic cameras and to sign up for email alerts.
• Follow the MDTA at twitter.com/TheMDTA and facebook.com/TheMDTA.
• Ease your travel with E-ZPass. Visit ezpassmd.com to enroll online and for a list of E-ZPass "On the Go" retail locations.
• Know Before You Go - To view traffic cameras on MDTA roadways, visit mdta.maryland.gov. Call 511 or visit MD511.org for statewide travel information. When you call 511, just say "Reach the Beach." The free phone call can eliminate some of the hassle of your road trip.

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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