AAA Travel projects 46.3 million Americans will journey 50 miles or more from home during the Thanksgiving weekend, the highest volume for the holiday since 2007. Nearly 90 percent of those will be on the road, fueled by the lowest Thanksgiving gas prices in five years.
Those lower gas prices are pretty much the only positive if you’re hitting the road this week (oh right, and the turkey and football and quality family time, and stuff like that).
Check travel times and a host of other tips on the state Department of Transportation website, wsdot.com. The resources include the best (and worst) times to travel on major roadways from Wednesday to Sunday.
The best times to travel on the following stretches of pavement if you’re leaving Wednesday:
I-5 from Bellingham to the Canadian border: 4-10 a.m. and 9-11 p.m.
Highway 2 from Stevens Pass to Leavenworth: No backups or delays expected
I-90 over Snoqualmie Pass, North Bend to Cle Elum: 4-8 a.m. and 8-11 p.m.
I-5 from Tacoma to Olympia: 4-5 a.m. and 10-11 p.m.
Oh, my. So, if you’re going to Portland, um, yeah, just leave now.
Otherwise, good luck with that.
Don’t forget pass conditions if you’re going over the mountains, and take those tire chains along. The early forecast for Snoqualmie Pass included chances of rain and snow showers all this week. Multiple spinouts at the summit were reported over last weekend.
Have a question? Email us at streetsmarts@heraldnet.com. Please include your name and city of residence. Look for updates on our Street Smarts blog.
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