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.”