CHICAGO (AP) — Americans took to the roads, air and railways Wednesday for what is expected to be the busiest Thanksgiving travel period in almost a decade.
In Los Angeles, the 405 Freeway was packed with travelers Tuesday night, as seen in this ABC7 helicopter-view showing lines of yellow and red lights:
#MannequinChallenge? Traffic nearly at a standstill on the 405 Freeway https://t.co/yfahcIv8AR pic.twitter.com/ZQndXJwEA3
— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) November 23, 2016
Almost 49 million people are expected to travel 50 miles or more between Wednesday and Sunday, the most since 2007, because of lower gas prices and an improving economy, according to AAA.
It will be the first time many have gathered with family and friends since the rancorous election between Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton, and many say they hope they can leave politics behind — even for just a day.
“We’ll avoid it,” said 47-year-old boilermaker Kevin Baumann, who stopped in central Montana on Tuesday on his way home to Spokane, Wash., after working on a coal plant in Iowa. “We’ve got bigger things to talk about during the holidays.”
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James Arnold, 18, a freshman at Eastern University in Philadelphia, expects that the election will be a big topic of conversation during Thanksgiving dinner at his family’s home in Silver Spring, Md.
“My family loves to talk about things together and the election is something huge,” he said Tuesday while waiting for a train.
“Every holiday they sit down and talk about things like that,” he added. “It’s going to be interesting.”
The weather appeared to be cooperating for the most part, with no significant issues as of Wednesday morning, said National Weather Service meteorologist Amy Seeley. There was light rain in Chicago, a major airline hub, but delays were only averaging 15 minutes, according to the Chicago Department of Aviation.
“It looks pretty quiet across the country today; I’ll take it,” said Seeley.
For those who didn’t want to drive, Amtrak was adding some extra trains Wednesday and Sunday between Chicago and Milwaukee, its biggest Midwest corridor, said spokesman Marc Magliari. Some Midwest trains have been sold out for several days, he said.
