No road blocks for holiday travelers in Delaware

Nearly 118-thousand Delawareans will hit the road over the 2013 Thanksgiving holiday travel period that begins today according to AAA Mid-Atlantic.

Traffic volume in the state which is expected to be slightly down from last year is at its busiest from Wednesday, November 27 to Sunday, December 1.

“While the primary focus of Thanksgiving is to gather with loved ones and celebrate with each other, fiscal uncertainty in the minds of some consumers is causing a slight decline in the number of projected travelers this year,” says Jim Lardear, Director of Public and Government Affairs for AAA Mid-Atlantic.

However, Lardear says travel will remain well-above 2008 and 2009 levels when the recession caused a drop in travelers of more than 25 percent.To ensure traffic runs smoothly, the Department of Transportation is moving ahead with planned lane closures on Delaware’s major roadways such as Route 1, I-95, and U.S. Route 202. Road projects on those highways will be suspended at noon on Wednesday, November 27 and will resume at midnight on Sunday, December 1. In fact, extra personnel will be on duty at tollbooths at the I-95 Newark Plaza, Route 1- Biddle’s Corner Plaza, and Route 1- Dover Plaza to ease traffic congestion.

Transportation officials are urging travelers to keep in mind that vehicle accidents and other related incidents could cause delays or lane closures. As for people who rely on public transportation in Delaware, those travelers will have access to the SEPTA Wilmington/Newark Line that will operate on Thanksgiving Day with service to Claymont and Wilmington but the line will operate on a holiday schedule. Delaware’s DART and paratransit services will not operate on Thanksgiving Day but will resume service on , November 29.

During last year’s Thanksgiving Holiday, there was an increase of Delawareans traveling long distances by train and bus compared to the 2011 Thanksgiving travel period.

“When you go to your Thanksgiving destination by a train or a bus, transportation becomes part of the trip, not a means to an end. Amid the holiday hustle and bustle, you will have more legroom, plus you can take in the scenery and the sights and sounds of the countryside, as someone else or a professional driver focuses on the driving while you sit back and relax,” says Jim Lardear, Director of Public and Government Affairs for AAA Mid-Atlantic.

Meanwhile, 43.4 million Americans are expected to travel nationwide mostly by car predicts AAA-Mid-Atlantic. Delaware motorists can even better plan their trip and adjust their travel schedule by using DelDOT’s Smartphone application. The DelDOT App is only available for Apple & Android devices and can be downloaded when you visit the Delaware Department of Transportation website.