10 Roadways to Avoid This Holiday Season

Forecast Reveals 10 Freeways to Avoid for Christmas

About 53.4 million people will take to the air, roads, and rails to travel for this year's holiday season, according to forecasts from AAA. With travel now back to pre-pandemic levels despite the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, drivers should anticipate hitting heavier traffic, especially around busy metro cities.

Before planning your route for holiday travel, check this list of freeways where significant delays and traffic congestion are predicted – is your city on the list? If so, now's the time to plan an alternative route, and possibly more travel time.

1. New York - I-495 E, Borden Ave to Little Neck Pkwy

Coming in first for 2021's most dreaded freeway during holiday travel is this corridor of NYC. With traffic 482% above normal, expect peak congestion between 2:30-4:30 p.m. on the days leading up to Christmas.

2. Los Angeles - I-5 S, Colorado St to Florence Ave

Next on the list is this corridor of LA, where traffic is predicted to be 385% above normal and peak congestion happening between 3:45-5:45 p.m. Avoid rush hour in LA if you can as you travel for the holidays, in other words.

3. Houston - I-10 W, Sjolander Rd to TX-330

Holiday traffic is expected to bump the traffic congestion of this Houston freeway corridor 344% above normal, especially between the hours of 3:15-5:15 p.m. during the most commonly traveled days before Christmas. Get a head start if you're planning to travel in the Lone Star State!

4. Atlanta - I-85 S, Clairmont Rd to MLK Dr.

Hot-lanta frequents our top 10 lists as a hot spot for traffic congestion. Traffic is expected to be 340% over normal amounts, with peak congestion happening between 1:30-3:30 p.m. in the days leading up to Christmas.

5. Chicago - I-290 W, Morgan St to Wolfe Rd

Chicago may be a given when we have a top 10 list of heavy traffic areas, but this particular corridor in the Windy City is expected to have 329% more congestion than usual and those who are traveling between 2:45-4:45 p.m. may want to either get an earlier start or wait until later when traffic has cleared.

6. San Francisco - I-80 E, I-580 to San Pablo Dam Rd

If you're traveling in the San Fran area, avoid this corridor if you can. Traffic is expected to be 278% above normal, with peak hours being between 4-6 p.m. Although this is number six on the list compared to busier areas, that type of congestion can lead to hours of lost travel time.

7. Seattle - I-5 S, WA-18 to WA-7

One of the most populous cities in the PNW, Seattle comes in at number seven this year for potential holiday travel delays. Avoid this corridor between 4-6 p.m. before the holidays if you're stressed for time as you travel.

8. Boston - I-93 N, Quincy Market to MA-28

Boston comes in eighth for the busiest freeways this season, with traffic expected to be 240% above normal and peak congestion predicted to happen from 1-3 p.m. Bad news for Boston.

9. Washington, D.C. - I-95 S, I-395 to VA-123

Although D.C. is at the bottom of the list, that doesn't mean the traffic is smooth sailing as the busiest travel time of the season starts to ramp up. With traffic expected to be 230% above normal, avoid this freeway corridor in Washington D.C. between 2-4 p.m. and your holidays may look a little brighter.

10. Detroit - I-96 W, 6 Mile Rd to Walled Lake

As chaotic as traffic in Detroit can be, especially during the holidays, the Motor City falls to last place this year with traffic only expected to be 211% above normal. Avoid this corridor between 2-4 p.m. on your travel days and you should be golden.

Staying Safe (and Sane) During Holiday Travel

No matter how you're traveling this holiday season, be sure to take a break from the pre-Christmas chaos and:

• Be prepared for waits, delays, traffic jams, road accidents, and the other obstacles that may pop up on your journey.
• Plan ahead and have alternative routes ready in case traffic starts to look dense when you're planning to leave
• Leave later or earlier if you can on days when you know a lot of people will be on the road
• Pack luggage/overnight bags ahead of time so you're not running late and risking getting caught in the holiday travel chaos.

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