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Thanksgiving weekend travel likely busiest in years

HARTFORD—This year’s Thanksgiving day travel period is expected to be the busiest in more than a decade, according to AAA. For many Connecticut drivers, the pla...

HARTFORD—This year’s Thanksgiving day travel period is expected to be the busiest in more than a decade, according to AAA.

For many Connecticut drivers, the plan Wednesday was to get an early start to try and beat some of the worst of the highway congestions.

“We’re trying to avoid the later-in-the day, people getting off work, that kind of traffic,” Ken Corroon, from Greenwich, said on his way up to Massachusetts to visit family.

The drivers that did opt to beat the heaviest of traffic this holiday weekend were greeted with heavy rain in many parts of the state.

“It’s not horrible, definitely could be better but at least it’s not snowing,” Allison Cargill said on her drive from New York City to Boston.

AAA estimated two million New Englanders plan to drive to their holiday destination this year, which is a more than three percent increase over last year. They also said that increase in road travelers is despite the fact that gas prices are about 40 cents higher than this same time last year.

Gas prices aside, many local drivers had the same hope for anyone out on the roads this holiday weekend.

“Especially with the roads being wet today I hope everybody makes it to their Thanksgiving dinner,” Jane Fellows, from Berlin, said.

Cherrille Howard, from Hartford, shared a similar sentiment.  “I just want people to be safe that’s the bottom line is for them to be safe,” Howard said.

Highway congestion is expected throughout Connecticut, the Northeast region, and the country as AAA expects 51 million Americans to travel more than 50 miles over the holiday weekend, with the majority driving to their destination.

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