SWATARA TOWNSHIP, DAUPHIN COUNTY Pa.-- Pack your bags and your patience if you're hitting the road this week for Thanksgiving. The PA Turnpike expects this Thanksgiving to be the busiest travel holiday, with 3.7 million cars on the roads. Officials say traffic will be pretty heavy for a six day period which will begin on Tuesday.
Tuesday from 3:00 p.m., until 8:00 p.m., and Wednesday from 7:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m is when traffic will be the heaviest, with 750,000 cars expected to be on the roads. They say the traffic will slightly slow down, before it picks back up again on Sunday from noon until 8:00 p.m.
To help make the traffic flow better, PennDOT says from 5:00 a.m., Tuesday morning until 11 p.m., on Sunday -- all turnpike lanes will be open and all construction projects will be suspended.
With efforts to remind drivers to please drive safe this holiday season-- the Wolf Administration, State police, PA Turnpike, and PennDOT is reminding drivers to travel safe this week, with a press conference Monday morning. They say it's the start of 'Operation Safe Holiday Travel', so you can expect to see more patrols on the roads pushing for safe driving practices.
Another thing officials want to remind travelers, if you are driving an extra long distance they encourage you to take breaks. They say every two to three hours, it will help you stay alert on your travels.
PA Turnpike officials say the least busiest days to travel will be on Thursday, Thanksgiving, and then Black Friday. AAA says this will be the highest Thanksgiving travel in over a dozen years!
