Marylanders Head Home After Thanksgiving Holiday
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Construction zones, delays at airports and traffic tie-ups. It's what many people face on their holiday return trip this weekend. As Gigi Barnett explains, the state says its troopers will be out in full force.
After a long holiday weekend away, it's time to go home.
"We like the vacation but it's time for work and school," said Nicole Bricker.
AAA says some three million drivers hit the Maryland roads this Thanksgiving. That's a two percent jump over the same time last year.
At BWI-Thurgood Marshall Airport, many airline passengers did not "opt out" this year. A nationwide movement called on them to boycott the Transportation Security Administration's full body scans and choose a patdown instead. Many passengers picked the scans, saving airlines long delays.
"You just step in and the screen slides back and forth; step out a couple of seconds later," said George Ondiek.
But one thing that may cause the return trip to slow down is construction. A $32 million construction project at the Newark Toll Plaza in Delaware could cause traffic to sprawl for miles. Experts say one key is to leave early.
"I don't care what time I get home, as long as I arrive safe. If I have to drop the speed down to 40, I will," said Bricker.
And extra state troopers will be watching.
AAA Mid-Atlantic says higher gas prices this year did not affect road travel. Roughly 95 percent of Americans who traveled this Thanksgiving did so by car.
