5.4 Million To Travel PA Turnpike During 'Very Busy' Holiday Season

PENNSYLVANIA — The Keystone State will experience a "very busy" holiday travel season this year, according to the latest insights from the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission.

Some 5.4 million motorists are expected to travel the Turnpike around Christmas and New Years, covering the time period from Dec. 23 to Jan. 2. It's nearly identical to the number that traveled during a very busy 2021 holiday season, according to the Turnpike's projections.

“Higher levels of traffic, ever-increasing incidence of distracted driving and changing weather conditions are a very harmful mixture that can create holiday havoc,” PA Turnpike CEO Mark Compton said in a statement.

The busiest days look to be Thursday, Dec. 29 and Friday, Dec. 30, with between 570,000 and 600,000 vehicles traveling, the Turnpike estimates.

This is despite at least one major winter storm event anticipated in the coming days. Wind gusts up to 50 miles per hour and heavy downpours are expected across the state, with the eastern half getting up to three inches of rain and the western half getting varying amounts of accumulating snow. Plummeting temperatures, perhaps even historically cold temperatures on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are likely to follow the storm and could cause a flash freeze that makes roads treacherous.

Despite this, officials remain confident that the next few weeks can go by smoothly.

“We want all travelers to arrive safely at their holiday destinations, and with planning and focus, that can certainly happen," Compton added.

The Turnpike published daily traffic projections through the New Year, available below:

• Friday, Dec. 23 - 600,000
• Saturday, Dec. 24 - 450,000
• Sunday, Dec. 25 - 320,000
• Monday, Dec. 26 - 530,000
• Tuesday, Dec. 27 - 550,000
• Wednesday, Dec. 28 - 550,000
• Thursday, Dec. 29 - 570,000
• Friday, Dec. 30 - 600,000
• Saturday, Dec. 31 - 410,000
• Sunday, Jan. 1 - 350,000
• Monday, Jan. 2 - 450,000

Construction work will be suspended starting Friday and through the New Year to help alleviate anticipated traffic.

Some 102 million motorists will hit the roads nationwide this year, according to the latest estimates from AAA.

The bulk of holiday travelers will be on the nation’s highways — about 2 million more than in 2021 — AAA said of what’s expected to be the third-busiest end-of-the-year holiday travel season since it began tracking volume in 2000.

Overall, the AAA auto club and its transportation analytics and insights data partner, INRIX, estimate that 112.7 million people will travel 50 or more miles during the holiday period.

“With pre-pandemic levels of travelers hitting the road this holiday, drivers must be prepared for delays in and around major metro areas, with Tuesday, December 27 expected to be the nation’s worst day to travel,” Bob Pishue, transportation analyst at INRIX, said in a news release. “Our advice is to avoid traveling during peak commuting hours. If schedules allow, leave bright and early or after the afternoon commute.”