Here are the best and the worst times to be on the road between Sat., Dec. 23 and Mon., Jan. 1, to avoid congestion and road rage by drivers who can’t cope with it.
Holiday Travel 2023: AAA expects nearly 104 million people will drive to their holiday destinations, an increase of 1.8% compared to 2022.
This year’s projected number of drivers is the second highest on record after 2019, when 108 million drivers hit the road for the holidays.
Drivers can expect to pay about the same or less for a gallon of gas than they did last holiday season, when the national average was between $3.10 and $3.20.
Here are the best and the worst times to drive to Grandma’s house, or wherever you are going, according to INRIX, a provider of transportation data and insights.
See also –
Airports will be busier than ever this holiday season.
Tips for staying sane.
Best/Worst Times to Drive
The best times to get on the road are before lunchtime or after 7pm.
Saturday, December 23, and Thursday, December 28, will be the most congested days on the road.
INRIX also says Saturday, December 30, when many people are heading back home from their holiday destinations or traveling for New Year’s Eve, will see an increase in traffic compared to a normal Saturday.
“Nationwide, drivers could see travel times up to 20% longer this holiday season. In major metros, especially in Denver, Minneapolis, and Washington, DC, drivers could experience nearly double the typical delays,” said Bob Pishue, transportation analyst at INRIX.
His advice is to minimize holiday travel traffic frustrations:
- avoid peak commuting hours
- use traffic apps, local DOT notifications, and 511 services
Saturday, Dec 23 11:00 AM – 7:00 PM Before 10:00 AM
Sunday, Dec 24 Minimal Traffic Impact Expected
Monday, Dec 25 Minimal Traffic Impact Expected
Tuesday, Dec 26 1:00 – 5:00 PM Before 12:00 PM
Wednesday, Dec 27 1:00 – 7:00 PM Before 12:00 PM
Thursday, Dec 28 2:00 – 8:00 PM Before 12:00 PM
Friday, Dec 29 2:00 – 8:00 PM Before 12:00 PM
Saturday, Dec 30 5:00 – 7:00 PM Before 12:00 PM
Sunday, Dec 31 Minimal Traffic Impact Expected
Monday, Jan 01 Minimal Traffic Impact Expected
Peak Congestion by Metro Area
Predicted extra travel time during peak hours, by city –
Atlanta – Augusta to Atlanta via I-20 W Monday 12/30, 7:15 PM 1 hour 56 minutes 23%
Boston – Boston to Portsmouth via I-95 N Saturday 12/23, 4:15 PM 1 hour 41 minutes 55%
Chicago – Milwaukee to Chicago via I-94 E Thursday 12/28, 5:30 PM 1 hour 47 minutes 29%
Denver – Fort Collins to Denver via I-25 S Friday 12/29, 2:00 PM 1 hour 40 minutes 67%
Detroit – Detroit to Cleveland via I-75 S Saturday 12/23, 6:45 PM 3 hours 18 minutes 27%
Houston – Houston to Galveston via I-45 S Saturday 12/23, 5:15 PM 1 hours 6 minutes 38%
Los Angeles – Bakersfield to Los Angeles via I-5 S Wednesday 12/27, 6:15 PM 2 hours 41 minutes 50%
Minneapolis – Eau Claire to Minneapolis via I-94 W Thursday 12/28, 10:15 AM 2 hours 7 minutes 62%
New York – New York to Hamptons via Long Island Expy E Saturday 12/23, 2:30 PM 2 hours 8 minutes 50%
Portland – Portland to Hood River via I-84 E Saturday 12/23, 5:45 PM 1 hour 39 minutes 40%
San Diego – San Diego to Palm Springs via I-15 N Saturday 12/23, 5:00 PM 2 hours 50 minutes 22%
San Francisco – San Francisco to Sacramento via I-80 E Saturday 12/23, 5:15 PM 1 hour 49 minutes 73%
Seattle – Seattle to Bellingham via I-5 N Wednesday 12/27, 6:45 PM 2 hours 33 minutes 47%
Tampa – Tampa to Orlando via I-4 E Tuesday 12/26, 4:15 PM 2 hours 59 minutes 58%
Washington, DC – Baltimore to Washington DC via Balt/Wash Pkwy S Friday 12/29, 3:45 PM 1 hour 1 minute 67%
Holiday Forecast Methodology
In cooperation with AAA, S&P Global Market Intelligence developed a unique methodology to forecast actual domestic travel volumes. The economic variables used to forecast travel for the current holiday are leveraged from S&P Global Market Intelligence’s proprietary databases. These data include macroeconomic drivers such as employment, output, household net worth, asset prices, including stock indices, interest rates, housing market indicators, and variables related to travel and tourism, including gasoline prices, airline travel, and hotel stays. AAA and S&P Global Market Intelligence have quantified holiday travel volumes going back to 2000.
Full Disclosure – I write for AAA Northeast and other AAA publications.
ecoXplorer Evelyn Kanter is a journalist with 20+ years of experience as a newspaper and magazine writer, radio & TV news producer & reporter, and author of guidebooks and smartphone apps – all focusing on travel, automotive, the environment and your rights as a consumer.
ecoXplorer Evelyn Kanter currently serves as President of the International Motor Press Assn. (IMPA), a former Board Member of the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) and a current member of the North American Travel Journalists Assn. (NATJA) and the North American Snowsports Journalists Assn. (NASJA).
Contact me at evelyn@ecoxplorer.com.
Copyright (C) Evelyn Kanter
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