As you can pretty well guess, despite a spike in COVID-19 cases, Americans will be loading up the family car and heading out to celebrate Christmas and New Years at about the same level they did in 2019.
In all, some 109 million people will travel 50 or more miles between Thursday and Jan. 2. Most of them will be in cars on the same highways you'll travel if you're working.
AAA and its research partner INRX suggest these will be the worst and best times for highway congestion during the holidays:
- Thursday: Worst Noon to 6 p.m. Best After 7 p.m.
- Friday: Christmas Eve: Worst 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Best Before 1 p.m.
- Saturday, Christmas day expect little congestion
- Sunday: Worst 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Best Before noon
- Monday, Dec. 27: Worst 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. Best Before 1 p.m.
- Tuesday, Dec. 28: Worst 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Best Before noon
- Wednesday, Dec. 29 Worst 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Best Before 11 a.m.
- Thursday, Dec. 30: Worst 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Best Before noon
- Friday, Dec. 31 New Years' Eve: Worst 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Best Before 1 p.m. or after 5 p.m.
- Saturday, Jan. 1 New Year's day expect little congestion
- Sunday, Jan. 2 Worst 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Best Before 1 p.m.
Expect the worst congestion to occur in and around major metropolitan areas.
