Thanksgiving travel expected to increase in Delaware

Experts say the number of people hitting the road for this week will be up 2.6%.

The holiday travel rush is officially underway, and this year, travelers will have more company on the roads, on the rails, and in the air.

AAA Mid-Atlantic predicts 110,000 Delawareans will be traveling more than 50 miles for Thanksgiving, that’s a 2.6% increase over last year.  That includes more than 93,000 driving and nearly 7,000 flying.  The average distance traveled for Thanksgiving is more than 1,000 miles round-trip.

Drivers traveling through Delaware this holiday season will have one less option when looking for a place to take a break from the road.  That’s because the service plaza on I-95 near Newark has been completely demolished to make way for a more modern facility.  That means drivers who don’t want to get off the interstate will have to wait until the Chesapeake House 20 miles south of the Delaware service plaza if heading south.  Drivers heading north on I-95 can either stop at a rest area just north of the DE/PA state line.  If you’re heading to New Jersey, there are a couple of options, including a rest stop on I-295, or a service plaza with several restaurants about 5 miles north on the NJ Turnpike.

No matter where you stop, expect a lot of company.   AAA predicts that more than 38-million Americans will be traveling this week, a 1.4% increase over last year.