AAA expects record travel this Thanksgiving

KENNEBUNK (WGME) — Holiday travel is now well underway as people head out to see family and friends for Thanksgiving.

AAA says it will be a record year on the roads.

Across the country, AAA predicts nearly 80 million people will travel for Thanksgiving, and the vast majority of them will be out on the road.

In New England, the Maine Turnpike Authority says traffic likely won’t be as bad as a busy summer weekend, but you should still be patient.

According to AAA, 3.1 million people are expected to hit the road in northern New England this week, which is about a 2 percent increase from last year.

If you want to miss that traffic, driving is your best bet. But to avoid that traffic, you might run into some rain and snow.

The forecast is predicting some slippery travel conditions across New England, and some travelers say they’re hoping to avoid driving in the wet weather, and so far it’s working out.

“We’re surprised at how light the traffic is,” Northport resident Pete Miller said. “Coming down from Augusta on 95, generally the merge in Brunswick brings in a huge stream of traffic coming down from Route 1. That didn’t occur. And much later, even this rest area has fewer cars in it than we would’ve expected.”