Planning on traveling this Thanksgiving weekend? You’d do well not to hit the roads between 2:30 and 4:30 p.m. Wednesday afternoon, according to a new report from AAA and transportation analyst INRIX.
That’s when the report predicts traffic will reach peak congestion levels in Southern California, doubling the length of many cross-town trips. The most traffic-clogged stretch of road is likely to be Interstate 5, heading south through Orange County.
The evening of Tuesday, November 20, is also likely to be a bad time to drive—especially for those headed to the airport. The authors of the report predict that the drive from Downtown LA to LAX (which takes a little less than 30 minutes when traffic is light), will last roughly an hour at that time.
Nationwide, traffic is likely to be heavier this year than last, according to the report. In fact, its authors project that more people will travel long distances in 2018 than in any other year since 2005.
The number of people flying or driving to their destinations is expected to rise around 5 percent, while the number of people taking planes, buses, and boats could go up 1.4 percent.
It's projected more than 50 million travelers will make journeys 50 miles or more this Thanksgiving holiday, says the report.
Still, Los Angeles residents will avoid much of the worst congestion. In New York and Boston, some commutes are projected to be nearly four times slower than on a normal day.
For those averse to crowds it may be also be a good idea to avoid Disneyland. Anaheim is expected to be the third-most popular destination over Thanksgiving weekend in 2018.
