Worst Thanksgiving Travel Times For NYC: When Not To Hit The Road

NEW YORK — Heading out of the city for Thanksgiving? You might want to download some good podcasts — some holiday trips in New York could take more than three times as long as normal, according to INRIX, a mobility analytics company.

AAA expects more than 54 million Americans to travel at least 50 miles from home this Thanksgiving, the most since 2005. Some 48.5 million will be driving, a 5 percent increase from last year, INRIX says.

"Our advice to drivers is to avoid commuting times in major cities altogether or plan alternative routes," INRIX transportation analyst Trevor Reed said in a news release.

Tuesday is be the worst day to hit the road in New York City, and drivers will see the worst traffic from 6 to 8 p.m., INRIX says. If you have to be in a car, try to avoid Exit 7 to the Hamilton Bridge on I-95 West, which the company says is the city's nastiest traffic hotspot.

It'll likely take longer to reach airports and get through security, as more than 4 million people will travel by plane this Thanksgiving, INRIX says.

New Yorkers should be wary of taking the Long Island Expressway to JFK Airport from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday — the peak trip takes an hour an 19 minutes from downtown, according to INRIX.

Drivers can beat the traffic by heading home early, as Thanksgiving Day, Friday and Saturday are generally the best days for travel, INRIX says.

Thanksgiving Day is also the least crowded and cheapest day for air travel with a three-year average ticket price of $446, according to an INRIX analysis of AAA flight booking data. The Monday before the holiday also isn't bad, with moderate crowds and a three-year average price of $465.

(Lead image: Traffic moves along 42nd Street in Manhattan in January 2018. Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)