Traffic & Transit
Best, Worst Times To Travel The PA Turnpike During Holiday Week
Travel forecasts indicate a 40 percent increase in travel over 2019, numbers only likely to increase as more flights are canceled.
PENNSYLVANIA — With hundreds of flights canceled around the country and families looking to travel for the holidays, the Pennsylvania Turnpike is likely to see an increased level of traffic through the New Year.
All told, some 5.4 million motorists are expected to travel the road between Dec. 23 and Jan. 2, the Turnpike Commission said.
“Our holiday traffic projections are coming close to matching those of 2019 with an increase of 40 percent over last year,” PA Turnpike CEO Mark Compton said in a statement. “We have added resources to address any traffic and safety concerns due to the increase in traffic."
Find out what's happening in Across Pennsylvaniafor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The busiest days look to be Wednesday and Thursday this week, with some 625,000 vehicles projected to be on the road each day.
Here are the latest projections for how busy the interstate will be this week:
Find out what's happening in Across Pennsylvaniafor free with the latest updates from Patch.
- Sunday, Dec. 26 375,000
- Monday, Dec. 27: 425,000
- Tuesday, Dec. 28: 600,000
- Wednesday, Dec. 29: 625,000
- Thursday, Dec. 30: 625,000
- Friday, Dec. 31: 460,000
- Saturday, Jan. 1: 350,000
- Sunday, Jan. 2: 425,000
Officials recommend that motorists planning to travel over the coming week use 511PA to check for speed, vehicle, and other restrictions.
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