10 Thanksgiving Travel Traffic Hotspots Around Philly Region

PHILADELPHIA, PA — Nearly 650,000 Philadelphia-area residents are expected to hit the roads and skies this Thanksgiving — the most since 2005.

According to AAA Mid-Atlantic, the number of people in the five-county Philadelphia area traveling more than 50 miles for the holiday will be up about 5 percent over 2017. The holiday travel period runs from Wednesday, Nov. 21 to Sunday, Nov. 25.

"This Thanksgiving we will see the most Americans carving time out to visit family and friends since 2005," said Jana L. Tidwell, a spokeswoman for AAA Mid-Atlantic. "A strong economy and labor market are generating higher wages and more disposable income, enabling more confident consumers to spend on travel this holiday season."

The vast majority of those Philly travelers, 89 percent, will be hitting the roads — a 5.1 percent increase over last year.

The increase in eastern Pennsylvania travelers mirrors a similar Turkey Day surge nationwide.

Nationally, AAA projects 54.3 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more, a 4.8 percent increase over last year.

AAA and INRIX, a global transportation analytics company, predict travel times in the most congested cities in the U.S. during the holiday week could be as much as four times longer than the optimal trip.

The Worst Places To Travel

According to AAA, the worst times to travel this week will be during the evening commute times. That's when people still having to work will begin mixing with travelers hitting the road for Thanksgiving.

And, as local drivers know, some spots will get rougher than others. Here are the 10 Thanksgiving Traffic Hot-Spots in the Philadelphia area, according to the AAA:

• I-295 S @ I-76/Exit 26 (Camden County, NJ)
  
• I-76 E @ Belmont Avenue/Exit 338 (Montgomery County)
  
• I-76 W @ PA-320.Gulph Road/Exit 330 (Montgomery County
  
• I-76 W @ Montgomery Drive/Exit 341 (Philadelphia County)
  
• I-95 S @ US-322/Exit 2/Exit 3 (Delaware County)
  
• I-476 N @ US-1/Exit 5 (Delaware County)
  
• PA-309 S @ Stump Road (Montgomery County)
  
• US-202 N @ US-1/Baltimore Pike (Delaware County)
  
• I-95 N @ Aramingo Avenue/Richmond Street (Philadelphia County)
  
• I-476 S @ I-95 (Delaware County)

'Operation Safe Holiday'

With the roads expected to be jam-packed, the state of Pennsylvania is gearing up to keep drivers and their passengers safe.

"Operation Safe Holiday" targets impaired driving and other safety risks.

PennDOT data shows that the winter holiday season brings with it an increase in traffic collisions. In 2017, there were 1,615 crashes and 13 fatalities in the Philadelphia region during the Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year travel periods.

Of those, 184 crashes and nine fatalities involved drunk or otherwise impaired drivers, PennDOT says.

"We want to encourage everyone to drive safe and sober this holiday season," said PennDOT District 6 Executive Kenneth M. McClain. "This is a time of year to have happy memories, not a time to be put in jail, get hurt, or even killed because you decided to get behind the wheel impaired."

PennDOT offers the following tips for holiday travel:

• If you decide to drink, make sure you have a non-drinking friend as a designated driver or arrange for alternate transportation.
• Decide to be a non-drinking designated driver, and do not let your friends drive impaired.
• If you have been drinking and do not have a designated driver, call a taxi, use a ride-sharing service or mass transit.
• If you are hosting a party, never allow your guests to leave unless they are going home with a sober driver.
• Always wear your safety belt, whether you are the passenger or a non-drinking designated driver.

The Pennsylvania State Police and hundreds of municipal police departments will be out in force to try to keep the roadways safe, PennDOT said.

For more information on Operation Safe Holiday and PennDOT’s other safety initiatives, visit PennDOT's safety website.

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