Thanksgiving Travel: Here's What You Need To Know Before Heading Out
CHICAGO (CBS)-- Many are getting ready to start Thanksgiving travel Wednesday morning.
It's not like last year, people are on the move and that means busy roads, trains and airports. CBS 2's Mugo Odigwe has the travel tips you need to know before heading out.
According to AAA, more than 53 million people will travel for Thanksgiving this year. A little over 48 million of them plan to drive, which means roads will be busy.
Experts say the best time to start driving Wednesday is after 9 p.m. The worst times are from noon to 8 p.m.
If you're driving on Thanksgiving, try hitting the road before 11 a.m. There will be significant delays from noon to 3 p.m. Thursday.
The worst corridor in Chicago to travel this year is the Ike from Morgan Street to Wolf Road. AAA says traffic will be up 390%.
Gas prices are also up and are at a seven year high.
The national average for a gallon of regular gas is $3.40. The average price for gas is Chicago is about $3.89 a gallon.
Experts tell CBS 2 gas prices are up due to the increased demand.
Airports are preparing for the holiday rush.
This holiday week (11/21 thru 11/28), the Airport Transit System (ATS) will extend hours from 10:30am to 10:30pm.
— O'Hare Intl. Airport (@fly2ohare) November 22, 2021
On 11/29 service will return to 10:30am - 8:30pm daily.
Shuttle buses continue to provide 24/7 service. https://t.co/pjsbtDgZLI pic.twitter.com/63VLvrDwd1
O'Hare Airport has extended the hours of the Airport Transit System as well as shuttle bus service.
CBS 2's Jackie Kostek reports a "breezy start" to the travel day at Midway Airport. She said by 5:15 a.m. Wednesday, she beat the first travel rush of the day.