NOW. CHANDI: WE HAVE BEEN TRAVELING ALL AROUND THE CITY ALL DAY. TRAFFIC BACKUPS STARTED EARLY. THE PARKWAY WAS BACKED UP AROUND NOON. AT 5:00 WE SHOWED YOU THE PARKWAY WEST. LET’S LOOK AT THE PARKWAY EAST. CARS ARE LINED UP WITH HEADLIGHTS BACK TO BACK. THE TRAFFIC IS GOING INTO THE SQUIRREL HILL TUNNEL YOUR EDGEWOOD. AAA REPORTS FOR THANKSGIVING EVE, ABOUT 49 MILLION PEOPLE ARE HITTING THE ROADS THIS WEEKEND AND IT THEY WILL BE GOING 50 MILES OR MORE. THE BEST TIME TO TRAVEL IS AFTER 8:00 TODAY AND BEFORE 11:00 A.M. TOMORROW OR AFTER 6:00 P.M. TOMORROW. WE CAUGHT UP WITH A MAN GOING TO BUTLER COUNTY TO HIS NIECE’S HOUSE. HE SAYS THAT WITH ALL THE DRIVERS AND A DEER ON THE ROAD SAFETY IS PRIORITY AND HE WILL BE EXTRA CAREFUL. WE TALKED TO A NEWLYWED COUPLE TRAVELING FROM OHIO TO PITTSBURGH TODAY TO PICK UP THEIR MOTHER TO SPEND TIME WITH FAMILY IN CLEVELAND FOR THANKSGIVING. THEY BATTLED TRAFFIC GETTING HERE. THEY PLAN TO HEAD BACK TO PITTSBURGH AND DROP HER OFF AFTER THE HOLIDAY. >> WE ARE COMING NEXT SUNDAY MORNING. I RAY THERE IS NOTE FOR -- I PRAY THERE IS NO TRAFFIC. AS SOON AS WE GET INTO THE PENNSYLVANIA TURNPIKE, THEN, YOU GO UNDER THE LITTLE CAMERA THING, THEN YOU GET INTO DOWNTOWN INTO THE TITLE. ONCE WE GET THERE, YOU KNOW, THAT IS WHEN THE TRAFFIC HITS. HOPEFULLY, WE DON’T GO THROUGH THAT. CHANDI: TRAVELERS ARE ALSO FLYING. WE CHECKED IN WITH PITTSBURGH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. THEY EXPECT MORE THAN 200,000 PEOPLE IN AND OUT OF THE AIRPORT THIS WEEK STARTING MONDAY UNTIL SUNDAY
AAA predicts record-breaking travel for Thanksgiving weekend
AAA estimates about 55 million people will be traveling this holiday weekend.
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Updated: 6:51 PM EST Nov 23, 2022
AAA predicts this to be the third busiest Thanksgiving travel since they started keeping track in the year 2000. An estimated 55 million people will be traveling, 49 million of those people will be hitting the road for travel."It's best to hit the road as early as possible, before 8 a.m.," said Tiffany Stanley with AAA. "Or if you can wait until after the traffic ends after 8 p.m., will be your best bet as well."AAA said about 54.6 million people will be traveling 50 miles or more from home this year for Thanksgiving. A 1.5% increase over 2021 and a 98% of pre-pandemic volumes. “People are eager to get back to creating memories with their families and friends this Thanksgiving,” says Bevi Powell, senior vice president, AAA East Central. “The nearly pre-pandemic levels of travelers will result in heavy traffic congestion and busy airports. Motorists should strategically plan their journey, packing plenty of patience for the drive or flight."Pittsburgh's Action News 4 caught up with drivers traveling through Pennsylvania at the Oakmont Plum Service Plaza on the Pennsylvania Turnpike."It's a holiday. People want to go be with family, they're going to pay the high gas prices. We have no choice," said Deb Euston, who is from Erie but is traveling to Alexandria, Virginia. "We (took) my car instead of (my wife's) car, her car drinks more gas than mine does, so we changed vehicles. Try to stretch out as far as we can, be a little more strategic on where we get gas at but it didn't stop us," said Ed-Dee Williams, who is traveling from Michigan to New Jersey. Today is also considered "Blackout Wednesday," otherwise known as one of the largest drinking nights of the year. PennDOT and other local leaders and responders are urging drivers not to drive if impaired. "When you see the signs 'DUI, you can't afford it,' it hits you in more ways than one. People can go to jail over it, some people can lose their lives, what they don't understand is the families that can be affected by someone driving under the influence and killing someone," said Pam Wahal with Allegheny County Highway Safety Program. PennDOT said from Nov. 1, 2021 to Dec. 31, 2021, there were over 400 crashes involving impaired drivers.
VERONA, Pa. — AAA predicts this to be the third busiest Thanksgiving travel since they started keeping track in the year 2000. An estimated 55 million people will be traveling, 49 million of those people will be hitting the road for travel.
"It's best to hit the road as early as possible, before 8 a.m.," said Tiffany Stanley with AAA. "Or if you can wait until after the traffic ends after 8 p.m., [that] will be your best bet as well."
AAA said about 54.6 million people will be traveling 50 miles or more from home this year for Thanksgiving. A 1.5% increase over 2021 and a 98% of pre-pandemic volumes.
“People are eager to get back to creating memories with their families and friends this Thanksgiving,” says Bevi Powell, senior vice president, AAA East Central. “The nearly pre-pandemic levels of travelers will result in heavy traffic congestion and busy airports. Motorists should strategically plan their journey, packing plenty of patience for the drive or flight."
Pittsburgh's Action News 4 caught up with drivers traveling through Pennsylvania at the Oakmont Plum Service Plaza on the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
"It's a holiday. People want to go be with family, they're going to pay the high gas prices. We have no choice," said Deb Euston, who is from Erie but is traveling to Alexandria, Virginia.
"We (took) my car instead of (my wife's) car, her car drinks more gas than mine does, so we changed vehicles. Try to stretch out as far as we can, be a little more strategic on where we get gas at but it didn't stop us," said Ed-Dee Williams, who is traveling from Michigan to New Jersey.
Today is also considered "Blackout Wednesday," otherwise known as one of the largest drinking nights of the year. PennDOT and other local leaders and responders are urging drivers not to drive if impaired.
"When you see the signs 'DUI, you can't afford it,' it hits you in more ways than one. People can go to jail over it, some people can lose their lives, what they don't understand is the families that can be affected by someone driving under the influence and killing someone," said Pam Wahal with Allegheny County Highway Safety Program.
PennDOT said from Nov. 1, 2021 to Dec. 31, 2021, there were over 400 crashes involving impaired drivers.
