Community Corner

14 Things to Know About Traveling on Thanksgiving Weekend in Massachusetts

Get prepared before heading out on the busiest travel day of the year.

By Les Masterson

Thanksgiving is a time of family, turkey, football -- and traffic jams. 

An estimated 43.4 million Americans will journey 50 miles or more from home during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Ninety percent of those travelers will travel by automobile, according to AAA.

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Wednesday will be the busiest single day of travel as 37 percent of travelers will leave for their destination that day. Thirty-three percent of travelers said they will return on Sunday.

Locally, AAA reports that almost 13 percent of New Englanders will travel during the Thanksgiving weekend. 

Here’s what you need to know before you hit the road:

1. Let's start with some good news. The Thanksgiving holiday is a less expensive holiday for travelers compared to other holidays. For instance, this year, Labor Day spending was expected to be $804, Independence Day $749 and Memorial Day $659. Thanksgiving is expected to cost travelers $465. 

2. The average distance that will be traveled this year is 601 miles, according to AAA.

3. Gas prices are the lowest at Thanksgiving since 2010 – and AAA expects them to fall even further in the coming weeks.

4. Travelers are actually expected to be down 2.5% this year compared to last Thanksgiving. Travel by automobile is expected to drop 2.7%.

5. Though Wednesday will be the busiest travel day, Mass DOTsaid Tuesday will also be a busy day on the roads.

6. Mass DOT warns that the heaviest traffic congestion will likely be on I-90 at Exit 9 at the interchange with I-84, Exit 11A for I-495, Exit 14 for I-95 and Route 128, and Exit 24 for I-93 North and South.

7. MassDOT urges drivers to travel early in the morning or after 8 p.m. on the busiest travel days.

8. Plymouth Rock Assurance will sponsor free tools at the Exit 19 Allston/Brighton interchange from 3 to 4 p.m. Wednesday.

9. State service plazas will serve free coffee on Thanksgiving night from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. Friday, Nov. 29.

10. Travelers who are flying out of Logan Airport should arrive at least two-and-a-half hours before a domestic flight and three hours before an international flight.

11. Those flying out of Logan can check updated airline and airport information here: www.massport.com.

12. MassDOT is suspending all construction projects on major state roadways from Wednesday, Nov. 27 through Monday, Dec. 2. Download the RideWise Smartphone application or call 511 for current traffic conditions. To learn more, visit the MassDOT Highway Division travel resources webpage.

13. The MBTA will operate on its regular weekday schedule on Wednesday, Nov. 27 and Friday, Nov. 29. On Thanksgiving, the T will run on a Sunday schedule.

14. Beginning Tuesday and throughout the weekend, the MBTA will operate additional off-peak service to serve customers traveling to and from Logan Airport. Visit the rider tools page for apps that give customers information on the go: http://mbta.com/rider_tools/apps/

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