Travelers hit the road under gloomy skies

November 25, 2009 - 10:16am

WASHINGTON - The Thanksgiving trek is underway and traffic will be a large hurdle for many commuters Wednesday.

WTOP's Bob Marbourg says the best way to deal with an otherwise lengthy commute is to begin your trip before or after rush hour.

"Why join a rush hour and go 10 miles in the next two hours?," Marbourg says. "Have dinner, sit back, take a nap, and then get out on the road after you hear us unwind the evening rush hour."

Transportation authorities are giving drivers a little bit of a break. VDOT will suspend all construction related lane closures at noon, so drivers can use all available lanes. The Maryland State Highway Administration has already done this.

There will be no lane closures in Maryland or Virginia until Monday.

Wet weather may also complicate your drive, so add additional time to your journey.

Drivers are dealing with cloudy skies, rain and drizzle throughout the D.C. region. The WTOP Weather Center will help you plan your trip.

The forecast calls for clouds, but the drizzle might let up in spots as the day wears on. Temperatures should be in the mid-50s.

Federal workers are being allowed to leave early Wednesday with your boss's permission, so rush hour might start earlier than usual.

Expect heavier than normal traffic in and around area airports. People flying should consider tacking some extra time on to their trips and checking flights in advance.

Metro is helping out by running extra buses to the airports Wednesday. The buses are running along the B 30 bus from the Greenbelt Rail Station to BWI Marshal route, and the 5A bus that goes from the L'Enfant Plaza and Rosslyn Stations to Dulles International.

A reminder that Metro is on a Sunday schedule Thursday, opening at 7 a.m. and closing at midnight.

If you are thinking about taking a new shortcut, Marbourg says to make sure you know what you are doing. Use the resources at the WTOP Traffic Center to see where you're going in advance.

"There really are no secret, undiscovered routes," Marbourg says.

"If you know one of the lesser traveled primary routes, that may serve you well, but you have to know the route, know where the turns are, and if weather is an issue, you may not want to be on a twisty, turny back road out in West Virginia, central Ohio (or) central Pennsylvania."

If your trip is taking you through the northeast part of Maryland or to the Eastern Shore, there is a good chance you will pass through a toll booth, along with 2.7 million other drivers.

The Maryland Transportation Authority says it expects that over the next six days:

Nearly 750,000 vehicles will travel through the Fort McHenry Tunnel on Interstate 95;
More than 680,000 vehicles will travel the John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway (from Baltimore to the Delaware state line);
More than 440,000 vehicles will cross the Bay Bridge to the Eastern Shore and Delmarva beaches.
Another 876,000 vehicles will travel through the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel along I-895, the Key Bridge along the Baltimore Beltway, the Thomas J. Hatem Memorial Bridge along U.S. 40 and the Gov. Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge on U.S. 301 into Virginia.

In order to avoid delays at the tolls, the Maryland Transportation Authority has listed a number of ways to make your drive easier:

Travel during off-peak hours (before 7 a.m. and after 10 p.m.)
Sign up for an E-Z Pass
Call 1-877-BAYSPAN or visit the Bay Bridge's Web site to check conditions on road work

Remember, WTOP has traffic and weather together every 10 minutes on the 8s.

Train Travel

Amtrak predicts some 660,000 people will travel by train this week, 125,000 on Wednesday alone. Wednesday will be Amtrak's heaviest single travel day of the year.

Amtrak will run more trains with higher capacity on its Northeast corridor, as well as on lines in the Pacific Northwest and in the Chicago area, Most of those will run on the busiest days - the day before Thanksgiving, and the Sunday after.

If your traveling by train, here are some suggestions to make your trip hassle-free:

Check and re-check availability the morning of your intended travel; sold out trains may become available if there are cancellations.
Remember, reservations are required on all trains and all passengers must carry a valid photo ID.
Allow at least 45 minutes at the train station prior to your departure time.
To make things easier, buy your tickets in advance and bring your credit card to the station. Use one of the Quick-Trak ticket vending machines to save time.

Airport Travel

While slightly fewer people are expected to travel by plane, expect the airports to still be packed.

Plan ahead. Make sure you're packed and ready to go the day before your flight. Leave plenty of time getting to the airport.
For domestic flights, arrive at least an hour and half before departure. For international flights, arrive at least two hours early.
Pack properly. Remember the liquid ban. Click here to see what you can't carry on.
Place all film, cameras and jewelry in a carry-on bag.
Do not pack wrapped gifts and do not bring wrapped gifts to the checkpoint. Wrap on arrival or ship your gifts.
Find out ahead of time about the parking situation. For BWI information, click here. For Dulles and Reagan National information, click here. Passengers also can call 703-417-PARK to find out whether parking spaces are still available at Reagan National.
To find out whether your flight is delayed, click here.