The most holiday travelers since 2019 are expected to hit the road this Thanksgiving, shaping up for one of the busiest roadway travel seasons on record.

Thanksgiving holiday travel traffic is expected to increase by 2.3 percent in comparison to 2022, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA).

Approximately 55.4 million travelers are expected to be traveling more than 50 miles to reach their holiday destinations, according to AAA .

The increase in travel volume is expected to affect air, land and sea travel.

To avoid travel congestion frustration, AAA advises motorists to be aware of peak travel times and plan to budget more time or adjust their departure windows.

This Thanksgiving, the busiest times on the road in the Los Angeles area are expected to be Wednesday, Nov. 22 afternoon and evening.

The northbound 5 Freeway, which passes through Santa Clarita, is projected to be hit with some of the greatest impact, with travel times from Los Angeles to Bakersfield reaching just under 3 hours, or 88 percent more time than usual.

Holiday travelers looking to avoid the rush are encouraged to hit the roads before 11 a.m. Wednesday, AAA suggested.

On the day of Thanksgiving, Thursday, Nov. 23, the worst time to travel is 11:00 a.m to 3:00 p.m. Best travel times are in the morning prior to 10:00 a.m.

Black Friday is predicted to have the heaviest traffic from 12:00 p.m to 4:00p.m.

For more information on peak holiday travel times, visit the website.

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