Visitors nationwide are expected to face record-breaking traffic, according to AAA. Maryland commuters in particular are facing severe weather conditions and potential congestion across the state.
This year, AAA's Thanksgiving traffic forecast includes the Tuesday before and Monday after the holiday weekend, during which a record 79.9 million Americans are expected to travel 50 miles or more. AAA believes that the vast majority of travelers will travel by car, with the number of drivers expected to increase by 1.9% from last year.
Despite clear skies Wednesday night, Marylanders can expect an 80% chance of rain on Thursday. In the Baltimore area, the Maryland State Highway Administration, through social media platform 895 and MD 295.
However, the State Highway Administration believes traffic in Baltimore should ease by Thursday's expected heavy rains and says Thanksgiving will be a good day to travel in the area. However, Tuesday and Sunday may present traffic challenges, especially between 1pm and 8pm on Tuesday and 3pm and 6pm on Sunday.
If commuters plan to cross the Chesapeake Bay Bridge this week, they should expect traffic congestion for much of the day, according to an outlook released by the Maryland Transportation Authority. Traffic warnings are issued daily from Tuesday to Sunday. However, the traffic outlook on Tuesday and Sunday is better than the rest of the week, and the MTA said drivers should try to travel before noon or after 8 p.m. on Tuesday and before 10 a.m. or after 8 p.m. on Sunday.
This Thanksgiving weekend is expected to be one of the busiest travel weekends ever. This is the perfect time to travel for Thanksgiving. For the latest real-time travel conditions, please log in to our website: https://t.co/VLB8C9prnr #MDTransportation pic.twitter.com/Lxbf0hUwXe
— Maryland State Highway Administration (@MDSHA) November 21, 2024
Traffic is likely to be heavy on the bridge most days Wednesday through Saturday. The National Highways Agency believes the eastbound lanes will be more congested; the government said on X that traffic volumes on the bridge's westbound lanes should be light on Friday.
AAA specifically noted that drivers traveling from Washington to Annapolis via US-50 could face traffic congestion up to 120 percent above normal traffic. The worst time to drive is Tuesday at 4:30 p.m., according to data from traffic data company INRIX's AAA report.
Estimates from the National Highway Administration match that forecast, saying the best time to travel in the Washington area is before 10 a.m. Tuesday or after 7 p.m. A similar warning is in place on Wednesday, with traffic expected to ease after 4 p.m. The post said travelers should plan to hit the road before 10 a.m. or after 2 p.m.
Avoiding traffic jams by choosing a mode of transportation is not an easy task either. The Maryland Transit Administration's website states that all MTA local buses, Baltimore Metro and light rail services will operate on a Sunday/holiday schedule during Thanksgiving. MTA commuter buses will not operate Thursday and Friday, except on Route 201 between Gaithersburg and Warner Street in Baltimore via BWI Marshall Airport. Likewise, all MARC trains stopped running on Thursday, with only Penn Line service running on Friday.
Have a news tip? Contact Racquel Bazos at rbazos@baltsun.com, 443-813-0770 or @rzbworks on X.
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