Chicago highways, O’Hare among busiest sites for Thanksgiving travel, experts warn. Here’s how to prepare.
Chicago highways are expected to be among the busiest in the days leading up to Thanksgiving, according to AAA.
In its pre-holiday travel report, the travel service organization said to expect roads and skies leading up to Thanksgiving to be filled with pre-pandemic volumes of traffic, as an estimated 54.6 million people will travel at least 50 miles from home for the holiday.
Along with Chicago, highways in Atlanta, New York City and Los Angeles will be the busiest, according to data analytics firm INRIX. To avoid the worst congestion, INRIX recommends traveling early Wednesday, or before 11 a.m. Thanksgiving Day.
“Thanksgiving is one of the busiest holidays for road trips, and this year will be no different,” said Bob Pishue, an INRIX transportation analyst. “Travelers should expect much heavier-than-normal congestion throughout the holiday weekend.”
The worst times to travel will be 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday; 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thanksgiving Day; and then 4 to 8 p.m. Sunday, as travelers return home.
The report predicts almost double the typical traffic along a westbound stretch of Interstate 290 from Chicago’s Near West Side to suburban Hillside, peaking between 3 and 5 p.m. Wednesday. Significant additional congestion is expected Wednesday along the same stretch of eastbound I-290, with an anticipated 84% spike in traffic.
Interstate 94 will be affected to a slightly lesser extent, with an expected 59% jump in traffic along a large portion of westbound I-94 from Lake Forest to the Indiana border, and a 35% increase along northbound I-94 from the South Deering neighborhood to Chicago’s South Loop. Interstate 294 from Western Springs to Bridgeview is also expected to see slightly more congestion.
The outlook isn’t much brighter for travelers flying out of the city. Chicago-based United Airlines expects O’Hare to be its busiest airport, with more than 650,000 customers anticipated for the holiday. It reports Sunday, Nov. 27, will be its busiest travel day since before the pandemic, with 460,000 travelers taking to the skies. Nationwide, the airline awaits more than 5.5 million travelers during the Thanksgiving travel period, up 12% from last year and nearly twice as many as in a typical November week.
The Transportation Security Administration reports that security checkpoints nationwide will be very close to pre-pandemic levels for Thanksgiving travel. It said it could screen as many as 2.5 million passengers Wednesday, and may surpass that figure Sunday, Nov. 27.
Across the United States, AAA said Tuesday it expects a 1.5% increase in travel compared with 2021, bringing levels to 98% of what they were before the COVID-19 pandemic. As pandemic restrictions loosen and many return to celebrating in person, AAA projects 2022 will be the third-busiest year for Thanksgiving travel since 2000, after 2005 and 2019, respectively.
“Plan ahead and pack your patience, whether you’re driving or flying,” said Paula Twidale, AAA senior vice president of travel. “Families and friends are eager to spend time together this Thanksgiving, one of the busiest for travel in the past two decades.”
Nine in 10 travelers will make their journey by car, although car travel still remains 2.5% lower than in 2019, AAA reported. As for air travel, 330,000 more travelers are expected compared with 2021, an 8% increase. Bus, train and cruise ship transportation have increased dramatically from last year, up 23%.
“Regardless of the transportation you have chosen, expect crowds during your trip and at your destination,” Twidale said. Travelers with flexible schedules should consider off-peak travel times to avoid the biggest rush.
Twenty-eight percent of Americans say they may travel for Thanksgiving this year, compared with 29% last year, according to a survey from the American Hotel & Lodging Association. The October survey also found 64% of respondents are concerned about delays and cancellations with air travel, and that 66% reported a lower chance of flying for the holidays.
lazu@chicagotribune.com
