Best, Worst Thanksgiving 2019 Travel Times Plus Bay Bridge Delays

MARYLAND — Thanksgiving is nearly here, and Maryland drivers ponder the same question every holiday: When is the best time to hit the road and not sit in traffic for hours? From packed lanes on I-70 and I-95 to major delays crossing the Bay Bridge because of construction, getting to your turkey dinner requires planning so you're not on the road at peak drive times and patience.

The Maryland Transportation Authority urges residents to travel during off-peak hours. Between Tuesday, Nov. 26, and Sunday, Dec. 1, more than 3.4 million travelers will use MDTA highways, bridges and tunnels, a slight increase compared to last year’s Thanksgiving holiday period. Based on traffic counts from previous years, Wednesday, Nov. 27, is expected to be the heaviest travel day of the week.

Nearly 1.15 million Marylanders are expected to travel 50 miles or more from their homes during the Thanksgiving holiday travel weekend, a 2.2 percent increase over 2018, according to AAA Mid-Atlantic. Nationally, and in Maryland, this will be the second-highest Thanksgiving travel volume since AAA began tracking in 2000, trailing only the record set in 2005.

INRIX, a global transportation analytics company, expects Wednesday afternoon to be the worst travel period nationally, with trips taking as much at four times longer than normal in major metros.

“This Thanksgiving we will see the most Americans carving time out to visit family and friends since 2005,” said Ragina C. Ali, Public and Government Affairs Manager for AAA Mid-Atlantic, in a news release. “The increase in the number of travelers from Maryland taking to the roads, air and other modes of transport, mirrors the national trend.”

Best, Worst Times To Cross Chesapeake Bay Bridge

“We’re expecting nearly 465,000 vehicles to cross the Bay Bridge during the holiday week, and so we’re urging travelers to go early, stay late, and cross the bridge during our recommended travel times, when we expect the least number of vehicles,” said MDTA Executive Director Jim Ports. “Stay alert for your safety and the safety of our work crews who are giving up holiday time. And with the holidays upon us, please be courteous to other drivers.”

With ongoing construction, the Bay Bridge westbound span’s right lane remains closed as crews work day and night, seven days a week, including during Thanksgiving week. Drivers should expect major delays in both directions and plan to leave an extra 20 to 30 minutes early if crossing the bridge, the MDTA said. Recommended times to travel the Bay Bridge during the Thanksgiving holiday are:

Eastbound:

• Tuesday through Friday, Nov. 26-29, before 9 a.m. and after 9 p.m.
• Monday, Dec. 2, before noon and after 8 p.m.

Westbound:

• Tuesday and Wednesday, Nov. 26-27, before 5 a.m. and after 6 p.m.
• Thursday through Sunday, Nov. 28-Dec. 1, before 9 a.m. and after 9 p.m.
• Monday, Dec. 2, before 5 a.m. and after 2 p.m.

From Wednesday, Nov. 27, through Saturday, Nov. 30, cashless tolling will be in effect at the Bay Bridge from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. During this time only, drivers will be video tolled at the cash rate if they do not have an E-ZPass.

During Thanksgiving week, in addition to the westbound right lane closure, the westbound span may be fully closed from 9 p.m. each night to 5 a.m. During overnight closures, two-way traffic will operate on the eastbound span with one lane in each direction. There will be no two-way traffic on the westbound span during the holiday week unless there is an emergency.

For the latest on Bay Bridge traffic, call 1-877-BAYSPAN (229-7726) or visit baybridge.com to view traffic cameras.

Peak Travel Times On Highways

And at least one checkpoint is planned to target drunk drivers on the road. On Wednesday, Nov. 27, the Maryland State Police Bel Air Barrack will hold a sobriety checkpoint in Harford County. In addition to the checkpoint, extra troopers will be on patrol throughout the weekend conducting DUI patrols.

Drivers caught driving impaired can face jail time, fines, fees, DUI classes, license suspensions and other expenses that can exceed $10,000.

Google Maps used aggregated and anonymized popular time data during the Thanksgiving week to identify when crowds tend to be the largest at popular holiday venues.

Bakeries, grocery stores and liquor stores all hit peak crowd levels between noon and midnight on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Movie theaters and shopping centers, though, have the most activity between noon and midnight on Black Friday.

To determine the best and worst times to drive on Thanksgiving, Google Maps analyzed data from the 2018 “Thanksgiving Holiday Period,” which included the Wednesday before Thanksgiving until the end of Sunday after the holiday.

The web mapping service found the volume of cars on the road at a given time during this period, and received the traffic information anonymously from Android users in 25 cities throughout the United States.

And from all of us here at Patch, have a happy Thanksgiving!