SAN DIEGO, Calif. — Wednesday will be the worst time to drive if you’re heading somewhere for the Thanksgiving holiday. Here are some tips to avoid the traffic headache and how much it will cost you.
For the second year in a row, the Auto Club of Southern California is predicting a record-breaking amount of travel around the Thanksgiving holiday.
As many as 4.6 million Southern Californians are anticipated to hit the roads or skies during the five-day period from Wednesday, Nov. 22 to Sunday, Nov. 26, according to AAA. Last year, a historic 4.5 million people in the region traveled for the holiday — about 3% less than this year’s forecast.
Gas prices are dipping below the $5 mark across the state. The average in the state of California is now $4.96. Here in San Diego, the average has fallen nearly every day over the past seven weeks. It’s now on average at $5.09. While the national average is $3.29.
The San Diego Airport is anticipating a busy Thanksgiving travel week and is warning travelers to expect busy terminals and limited parking.
The San Diego International Airport (SAN) is expecting a busy travel week with as many as 84,000 travelers going through the airport every day during the holiday week.
Tuesday and Wednesday ahead of Thanksgiving, and the Sunday and Monday after Thanksgiving are typically the busiest travel days, according to the airport.
The airport is warning travelers to expect traffic delays on roads heading into the airport and in the area of Terminal 1 (New T1) as construction continues. Airport parking is limited while construction on the New T1 Parking Plaza continues. Work on that area is expected to be done in late-2024.
The airport reports parking is currently available at the Terminal 2 Parking Plaza.
The busiest time to drive is expected to be Wednesday between 2 and 6 p.m. The best time to leave is before 11 a.m.
AAA says San Diego will reach peak congestion on the I-15 South from Palm Springs on Sunday just before 5 p.m. If you’re heading home over the weekend, it’s best to leave before noon, with the worst time to drive between 3 and 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Aric Richards and Danielle Dawson contributed to this report
