Holiday Rush Hour To Be Busier Than Ever

Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT)  officials are estimating that this holiday season is likely to be busier than most other previous seasons on record. 

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KHOU in Houston reports that the TxDOT believes that holiday traffic over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend is likely to increase by some 400 percent for some of Houston’s roads and freeways. AAA is predicting that this is the most significant increase in holiday travel in the U.S. since 2005.

Officials are estimating that approximately 4 million Texans will get behind the wheel and travel 50 or more miles from Wednesday to Sunday in order to gather with friends and family over the Thanksgiving holiday.  

For those who choose to fly instead, it’s estimated that more than 200,000 Texans will be traveling over the Thanksgiving holiday. Travelers are advised to be ready for delays due to the increased number of travelers this year and arrive at the airport well ahead of time.

According to AAA spokesman, Joshua Zuber, with a traffic increase that is estimated to be 400 percent higher, trips are likely to take four times as long as they might have in previous years.

By Wednesday afternoon, traffic on the West Loop and the Southwest Freeway traffic had ground down to a crawl. 

“If you’re going to travel,” one holiday traveler interviewed by KHOU shopping at   a very crowded Sugarland’s Honey Baked Ham store advised, “leave early!”