American Automobile Association (AAA) projects that 50.9 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more away from home this Thanksgiving, a 3.3 percent increase from last year and the most since 2005. Nearly 90 percent of the travelers will take to the highways, up 3.2 percent from 2016.
“A strong economy and labor market are generating rising incomes and higher consumer confidence, fueling a strong year for the travel industry, which will continue into the holiday season,” says Bill Sutherland, AAA senior vice president, Travel and Publishing.
Drivers will pay the highest Thanksgiving gas prices since 2014, at a national average of $2.54.
AAA says that the worst time to travel in DC will be Tuesday, Nov. 21, from 4:45 to 6:00 p.m., when traffic delays will be twice as long as usual. The worst traffic delay in the area this week is anticipated to be I-95 S at US-17/US-1 in Fredericksburg, VA.
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