How to tackle traveling during the Thanksgiving holiday

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – Traveling this year for Thanksgiving is up 2%, but how can you avoid the traffic?

Thanksgiving is expected to have the most cars on the road.

According to AAA, over 55 million people will be traveling.

49 million of those travelers will be driving.

TDOT is aware of this.

Rae-Anne Bradley, TDOT’s Community Relations Officer said, “So, beginning at noon on Wednesday, that’s November 22, through 6:30 a.m. November 27, we’re halting all construction lane closures.”

However, that’s not all they are doing.

“We’ve been working with local law enforcement to ramp up enforcement of that move over law. So, we want folks to be mindful of that as they are heading out to their respective destinations as well,” said Bradley.

According to AAA, Wednesday will be the busiest day to drive and the busiest from 2-6 p.m.

The best time to travel on Wednesday would be before 11 a.m.

If you’re traveling on Thanksgiving, try leaving before 10 a.m. or after 5 p.m.

The 24th is a busy day as well. Try to leave before 10 a.m. or after 7 p.m. to avoid peak traffic.

And if you’re leaving on Saturday or Sunday, before noon is the best.

No matter what time you drive, make sure you do it safely.

“We always encourage folks to know before they go. To check our smart way traffic camera from your desktop or mobile device at tn.smartway.gov,” said Bradley.

Wherever you’re headed, drive safe.

Although traveling is up from last year, it is lower than in 2019.