Expect Texas roadways to be stuffed with travelers this Turkey Day. "We're going to be almost back to 2019 travel volume when it comes to Thanksgiving," says Daniel Armbruster, spokesman for AAA Texas. "3.9 million Texans will travel between Wednesday and Sunday (of Thanksgiving week), and 92% or 3.6 million of those will do so by car."
Overall, AAA predicts total Texas travel volume will rise 12% from last Thanksgiving, and will only be 6% below the pre-pandemic level of two years ago. That includes a 77% increase in air travel.
Still, the vast majority of Texans are traveling by car this year, despite soaring gas prices. "It's likely drivers will be paying anywhere from $1.15 to $1.25 more per gallon on average than last Thanksgiving," says Armbruster.
While most holiday travelers will take off on their road trips the day before Thanksgiving, you might want to get a head start to beat the heaviest traffic. "Wednesday afternoon and Wednesday evening will be the worst times to travel, and Houston has one of the top 10 busiest corridors in the country," says Armbruster. "On I-10 to Texas 330, for Wednesday afternoon it's predicted that travel volume there will be 344% over normal."
Whether on the roads or at the airports, Armbruster says travelers should be ready for crowds and lines this holiday season. "People are just tired of being at home and they're ready to get out, whether it's to see family or go on vacation," he tells KTRH. "There's a lot of pent-up demand when it comes to travel, and we're certainly going to see that play out over Thanksgiving and likely into the Christmas and New Year's holidays as well."
Photo: AFP