You can beat the chaos of Turkey Day traffic
If you love Houston traffic (said no one ever), you’re going to love it even more on Thanksgiving.
You may have last-minute Thanksgiving plans that require flying to see family, or Friendsgiving was moved to someone’s house in Willowbrook and they expect you to get across town from Eastwood that morning.
Travel experts also think Wednesday afternoon will just be a sea
of red on the Houston Transtar Traffic Map, with more than 400 percent of normal traffic volume expected from 5 to 7 p.m., according to AAA.
That’s likely because 4.1 million Texans are expected to travel more than 50 miles for some turkey and quality family time this week, said Joshua Zuber, a AAA Texas spokesperson.
“Wednesday’s going to be a doozy,” Zuber said.
Transit data from Google shows the best time to leave the Houston area and travel to your Thanksgiving destination by car is at 3 a.m. on Wednesday.
If you’re looking to travel at a more reasonable hour, but still avoid traffic, you should leave your house at 6 a.m. on Thanksgiving instead. Maybe prep your cornbread stuffing the day before to avoid having to be up extra early to do that?
Whatever you do, the absolute worst time to leave the Houston area will be Wednesday afternoon when traffic volumes are expected to create delays up to 3.4 times as bad as a usual weekday afternoon, according to AAA, which partnered with transportation data company Inrix to track holiday travel.
While Houston ISD might have let the kids off for the week for Thanksgiving break, you’ll still have to fight a sea of drivers trying to get home early on the day before the holiday.
Worst time, place
The worst freeway prediction is for the crowd leaving downtown Houston and headed west on U.S. 59. The Southwest Freeway will see a 437 percent increase in traffic around 5:45 p.m., when commuters heading home to the suburbs will mingle with Turkey Day travelers, according to data from AAA and Inrix.
Six other stretches of Houston freeways are expected to have extreme increases in traffic on Wednesday. Here’s where and when to avoid them:
• 2:45 p.m.: Beltway 8 East, from Texas 249 to John F. Kennedy Blvd
• 4:15 p.m.: I-610 North from Braeswood Boulevard to Memorial Drive
• 5:30 p.m.: I-610 South from the U.S. 290 interchange to Braeswood Boulevard
• 5:30 p.m.: I-69 East from Weslayan Road to I-10
• 5:45 p.m.: I-10 West from Post Oak Road to Fort Bend County Road in Katy
• 6:00 p.m.: I-45 South from Greens Road to I-69/I-59 “Pack your patience,”
Zuber said. That, or put your toll road tag on your car finally and download a good app for alternate routes, like Waze.
Despite the long list of bad freeways in Houston that day, driving is a good bet for getting away on Thanksgiving week. With fuel prices low this week, you can probably travel to your family’s Galveston getaway for less than it cost to put together a pecan pie your aunt won’t complain about.
Flight options
The flight options to get in and out of Houston are less enticing. It’s far past the best time to buy flights out of Houston (the best was the last week of August and the first week of October, according to flight price searcher Skyscanner).
With 3.1 million U.S. airline passengers expected to fly on Dec. 1, according to trade group Airlines for America, it’s a miracle there are still any flights left. But you still have some getaway options.
Skyscanner found a nonstop round-trip flight between Houston and New York City leaving Wednesday
and returning Sunday currently goes for $599 with Spirit Airlines. If the plan is to head for tropical waters, the cheapest nonstop flight to and from Miami heading out on those days is $989 with United Airlines.
Or maybe your plan is to save the hassle of driving to New Orleans for Thanksgiving.
A nonstop round-trip fare between Houston and New Orleans International Airport will currently run you $495, also on Spirit Airlines. With budget airlines, you may have to pay for extra amenities like a tolerable amount of legroom and an extra piece of baggage.
Consider carefully
Those last-minute flight deals are unlikely to go down in price. Many may be last minute seat availabilities, stranding you in the dreaded middle seat, or pricier fares that come with more amenities than you’d usually spring for. And these prices don’t include the cost of hotels, which may be entirely booked thanks to the sheer volume of travelers this holiday season.
So if you were planning on timing your exit from the office on Wednesday to avoid traffic, or hopping aboard a flight to avoid the six-hour drive to Thanksgiving ... what’s it worth to you?