RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — As the winter travel season ramps up, drivers are facing a new wave of congestion and delays.
According to AAA, millions of Virginians are expected to travel this holiday season, which officially goes from Saturday, Dec. 23 to Monday, Jan. 1. The number of travelers this year is expected to top last year’s number by around 2%, but is still short of 2019.
Regardless, this year is expected to be Virginia’s second-busiest year for holiday travel since 2000, with 90% of travelers expected to drive. Tyler Julian, who is driving from Richmond to central Pennsylvania, said he is getting a head start on travel.
“I’m getting gas here. I’m getting food and then I’m heading up there,” he said.
AAA expects around 180,000 Virginians will fly to their holiday destinations, a 4.9% increase from last year and a 2% increase from 2019.
Since Julian is hitting the busy roads for a trip that’s expected to take around four hours, he said he hopes the journey will be smooth.
“[Interstate] 95 does get a little hectic, especially around the holidays, so that’s why I’m leaving a little bit later at night. You know, miss some of the traffic,” he said. “I prefer not driving at night but you know it’s better to not have traffic than to sit there all day and waste your time.”
To avoid traffic, AAA recommends leaving early in the morning.
