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Thanksgiving travel: Here are best and worst times to hit the road in Philly, Bucks County

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Thanksgiving travel: Here are best and worst times to hit the road in Philly, Bucks County

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As many Americans gear up to travel this Thanksgiving, auto club AAA predicts that a record number of people will be electing to hit the roads.

According to the AAA Thanksgiving Travel Forecast, 71.7 million people are expected to drive this year, setting a new record for the holiday travel.

The report predicts the worst travel times for the Philadelphia area will be just after noon the Sunday after Thanksgiving, on Dec. 1.

Midday travel on the Pennsylvania Turnpike (I-76) from the Poconos to Philadelphia could take three and a half hours, roughly 62% longer than a typical drive. 

This is also the first year that the travel forecast period has been extended to include the Tuesday before and Monday after Thanksgiving. The expected increase is compared to the same seven-day timeframe last year, AAA said.

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Best times to drive during Thanksgiving week 2024

According to INRIX, a group specializing in transportation analysis, these are the best times to drive during the holiday week:

  • Wednesday, Nov. 27, before 10 a.m.
  • Friday, Nov. 29, after 1 p.m.
  • Saturday, Nov. 30, before 1 p.m.

Minimal traffic is expected on Thanksgiving Day.

Worst times to drive during Thanksgiving week 2024

These are the hours INRIX predicts as the worst drive times during Thanksgiving week:

  • Wednesday, Nov. 27, between 1-5 p.m.
  • Friday, Nov. 29, between 7-10 a.m.
  • Saturday, Nov. 30, between 4-8 p.m.

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How expensive is gas this year?

According to stats provided by AAA, falling prices could result in the national average being below $3-per-gallon for the first time since 2021.

While costs are subject to change, AAA predicts prices to be lower than last Thanksgiving season, when the average was $3.26.

The average price of gas in Pennsylvania is about $3.24 per gallon, about 10 cents higher than fuel prices in Bucks and Montgomery counties, according to estimates listed online by AAA.

Chris Ullery can be reached at cullery@couriertimes.com.

Kaitlyn McCormick writes about trending issues and community news across South Jersey for the Courier-Post, The Daily Journal and the Burlington County Times. If you have a story she should tell, email her at kmccormick@gannett.com. And subscribe to stay up to date on the news you need.

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