Study: D.C. among worst for holiday traffic
November 24, 2010 - 5:11am
WASHINGTON -- Two of the nation's most congested roads during Thanksgiving are in the Washington area, a new report finds, unwelcome news for the over one million area residents heading home for the holiday.
The Interstate 95 corridor between Washington, D.C. and New York City made the top slot for worst traffic during Thanksgiving, according to a The Weather Channel
report. The segment of the Capital Beltway between Merrifield, Va. and Landover, Md. is seventh worst.
The finding is especially tough for the 95 percent of D.C. travelers who drive home for the holiday, according to the AAA.
Also in the top ten is the westbound Massachusetts Turnpike from Boston to I-84 in Sturbridge, the I-84/I-94 Borman Expressway in Chicago, Throgs Neck Bridge and Whitestone Bridge in New York City, and eastbound I-80 from San Francisco to Sacramento and Tahoe.
Washington also has the second-worst rush hour in the country, according to a NAVTEQ
study. Only New York City ranked worse, in front of San Francisco, Los Angeles and Philadelphia, also in the top 10.
Before heading out, bound for that turkey and stuffing, check out WTOP's
Thanksgiving Guide, with up-to-the-minute traffic and travel information.
And help us gather information on traffic jams and airport delays, by adding the #WTOPTravel hashtag to your Tweets, posting to our Facebook page or commenting on
this story.
WTOP's Andrew Mollenbeck and Paul D. Shinkman contributed to this report.
(Copyright 2010 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)
Record-setting travel expected this afternoon
Bay Staters itching to make it home for Thanksgiving on the busiest travel day of the year are expected to begin packing the highways at noon in what is projected to be a record-setting travel day.
New England holiday auto travel is expected to increase 12.1 percent from last year, and out of 42.2 million people traveling nationwide, 94 percent are doing so by car this Thanksgiving, the highest percentage ever recorded for a single holiday, according to AAA statistics.
“We do expect heavy traffic like every Thanksgiving,” said state police spokesman Lt. David Wilson. “We ask people to be patient, give yourself plenty of time, make sure your car’s prepared, don’t drink and drive, and always wear your seatbelt.”
Though traffic was moving smoothly this morning, Wilson said that could all change after noon, especially on Interstate 495, Interstate 95, the Massachusetts Turnpike, and Route 9 in Framingham.
Notorious for its backups at holiday time, the 56-mile-long stretch of the Mass Pike west from downtown Boston to Interstate 84 in Sturbridge was recently voted the number two most congested road in America by the Weather Channel.
Mary Maguire, spokeswoman for AAA Southern New England, urged commuters to keep both hands on the wheel at all times today as “extremely windy” conditions could make for a shifty ride despite it being a “beautiful day for driving.”
“Traffic is certainly steady but not heavy,” Maguire said. “An early departure before noontime would be ideal because we’re only going to see heavier traffic as the day ensues.”
To ensure quick and convenient service to and from Logan Airport, the Silver, Red, Orange, Blue and Green lines are operating with additional service today, according to the MBTA. Buses and commuter rails will operate on a regular weekday schedule.
The T and commuter rails will operate on a Sunday schedule Thanksgiving. On Friday the Green line will operate two car trains every eight minutes throughout the day.
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1298621
