SUFFOLK, Va. - Ronald Wood said his family won’t be gassing up their car this Thanksgiving weekend.
“The gas prices are not bad but the congestion, the interstate traffic, the hold up, tolls - all of it accounts to stay home and enjoy yourself around home,” he explained.
With more than one million Virginians traveling, that congestion is expected throughout the state.
In Hampton Roads, it’s going to be on Tuesday afternoon along I-64 west until 7 p.m.
Click here for a chart from VDOT showing peak travel times.
“My best guess is people are trying to avoid tomorrow’s travel,” Holly Christopher with VDOT explained.
Naadira Mubarak is traveling 12 hours to Florida on Tuesday.
“It’s about 12 hours, but we’re not rushing. We just wanna get on the road and get out of this area,” Mubarak said.
Regardless of when you leave, VDOT says you will likely see some slowdowns.
“You’re going to see snags and congestion inside of the normal areas where you would normally see it. You would see them on the Monitor-Merrimac, you will see them on the HRBT," Christopher explained.
In order to best figure out the route you should take, VDOT said download their real-time traffic app, 511.
“Make sure you’re tracking our electronic messaging signs for anything that might have changed or if there is an incident that has occurred or if congestion starts to begin,” Christopher mentioned.
For folks taking to the skies, the day to buckle up, according to AAA, was yesterday.
Whether heading to the airport, or driving to a loved one’s house, plan ahead and give yourself enough travel time.
“So - avoid distractions, put down the cellphone, make sure your eyes are on the road,” Christopher explained.
According to Virginia State Police, "there were 12 traffic fatalities during the 2018 five-day Thanksgiving statistical counting period."
VDOT is also lifting HOV restrictions and express lanes tolls on Thanksgiving Day, which is Thursday, November 28.
