These are the times you should avoid hitting the road over the holiday

The day before Thanksgiving is traditionally the busiest travel day of the year.

The American Automobile Association (AAA) projects that 55.4 million travelers will head 50 miles or more from home over this holiday and that 49 million will drive. If you’re among those hitting the road, prepare for delays.

Transportation data analytics company INRIX expects Wednesday, Nov. 22, to be the busiest travel day, with average travel times as high as 80% over normal in some metro areas. INRIX recommends leaving in the morning or after 6 p.m. to avoid the heaviest holiday congestion.

“The day before Thanksgiving is notoriously one of the most congested days on our roadways. Travelers should be prepared for long delays, especially in and around major metros,” says Bob Pishue, transportation analyst at INRIX.

The chart below shows INRIX’s Worst and Best travel times forecast.

In metro Atlanta, the heaviest congestion is expected to be along I-20 East from Birmingham to Atlanta on Friday around 5 p.m. That usual two-hour-fifteen-minute trip could stretch to more than four hours (see below).

Pishue offers some common sense advice to help ease your holiday travel stress.

“Knowing when and where congestion will build can help minimize holiday traffic frustrations. We advise drivers to use traffic apps, local DOT notifications, and 511 services for real-time updates.”

Peak Congestion by Metro

Metro

Route

Peak Congestion Period

Est. Travel Time

Compared to Typical

Atlanta

Birmingham to Atlanta via I-20 E

Friday, 5:00 p.m.

4 hours 2 minutes

54%

Boston

Boston to Hyannis via Pilgrim Hwy S

Thursday, 3:30 p.m.

1 hour 58 minutes

54%

Chicago

Chicago to Milwaukee via I-94 W

Wednesday, 4:00 p.m.

2 hours 1 minute

18%

Denver

Fort Collins to Denver via I-25 S

Friday, 5:45 p.m.

1 hour 37 minutes

27%

Detroit

Detroit to Grand Rapids via I-96 W

Wednesday, 2:15 p.m.

3 hours 8 minutes

35%

Houston

San Antonio to Houston via I-10 E

Sunday, 4:45 p.m.

4 hours 2 minutes

38%

Los Angeles

Los Angeles to Bakersfield via I-5 N

Wednesday, 4:30 p.m.

2 hours 59 minutes

88%

Minneapolis

Rochester to Minneapolis via US-52 E

Friday, 5:30 p.m.

1 hour 56 minutes

15%

New York

Jersey Shore to New York vis Garden St Parkway N

Sunday, 11:15 a.m.

1 hour 51 minutes

64%

Portland

Cannon Beach to Portland via Sunset Highway E

Sunday, 2:45 p.m.

1 hour 59 minutes

36%

San Diego

Palm Springs to San Diego via I-15 S

Sunday, 4:45 p.m.

2 hours 39 minutes

24%

San Francisco

Monterey to San Franciso via Santa Cruz Hwy N

Sunday, 7:00 p.m.

3 hours 10 minutes

63%

Seattle

Seattle to Bellingham via I-5 N

Wednesday, 3:30 p.m.

2 hours 39 minutes

71%

Tampa

Tampa to Orlando via I-4 E

Thursday, 8:15 a.m.

1 hour 55 minutes

36%

Washington, DC

Washington, DC to Baltimore via Balt/Wash Pkwy N

Wednesday,

2:00 p.m.

1 hour 13 minutes

71%

SOURCE: INRIX