Thanksgiving Travel: Here Are Best, Worst Times Near Charlotte

CHARLOTTE, NC — If you’re planning to hit the road for Thanksgiving, but are already dreading the traffic jams that easily pop up along interstates in the Charlotte-metro region, experts want to help.

With more people planning on driving for the holiday weekend (48 million) than turkeys consumed at Thanksgiving dinner (46 million), Americans need more help than ever to beat the holiday madness.

With expectations for a record-breaking 54.3 million Americans traveling 50+ miles from home this year, INRIX and AAA have teamed up to help travelers prepare for the mid-week holiday and released a Thanksgiving Holiday Travel Forecast, helping travelers spend more time around their turkey and less time stuck in traffic. INRIX specializes in connected car services and transportation analytics. AAA is the automobile club that's been around since 1902.

If you’re flying out of Charlotte Douglas International Airport, the worst time to drive to the airport is Tuesday, Nov. 20 from downtown Charlotte via US-74 West between the hours of 8 p.m. to 10 p.m., when the peak travel time is expected to be 21 minutes, the forecast said.

According to historical trends, travel will pick up Monday, Nov. 19 with the greatest amount of congestion found during early evening commuting hours, according to the travel forecast.

In most cases, the best days to travel will be on Thanksgiving Day, Friday or Saturday. Drivers should expect increased travel times on Sunday as most holiday travelers will be making their way home after the long weekend.

Covering Wednesday, November 21 to Sunday, November 25, this year's Forecast findings include:

• Squeezing into the family minivan? You will be in good company as 48.5 million Americans will take to the roads over Thanksgiving this year - nearly a 5% increase YoY
• Trains, planes (and automobiles): Thanks to higher wages, more disposable income and rising levels of household wealth, travel across trains, buses and cruise ships will increase 1.4% this year (1.48 million passengers) and 4.27 million passengers will travel by air
• Get a head start...: As a mid-week holiday, INRIX predicts that travel times will start to increase as early as Monday, Nov. 19
• … Or face the traffic demons: Drivers in SF, NYC and Boston may see travel delays that are nearly quadruple normal drive times
• Avoid the peaks: In most cases, Thanksgiving Day, Friday or Saturday will be the best days to travel
• Budget wisely: Drivers should expect to pay the highest Thanksgiving gas prices in four years, with a national average of $2.79 (30 cents more than a year ago)
• That said, car rental costs are down 10% year-over-year

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Patch Editor John Barker contributed

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