Traffic is likely to be heavier this holiday season than last year despite the climb in gas prices. The Boston Globe is reporting on several incidents, including a commuter train that crashed into cars in Chicago, that are snarling traffic. The Midwest also received a few inches of snow which is slowing traffic.
AAA said more than 37 million people would travel by car at least 50 miles from home during the long holiday weekend. The association, citing a telephone survey, said the number of Thanksgiving travelers would be up 0.8 percent from last year.
''I'm glad gas is not $3 anymore," Kate Kehoe said as she filled her tank in Ann Arbor, Mich., for a trip of about 55 miles to Flint.
The Chicago Tribune said the snow caused some traffic headaches.
On Wednesday afternoon, while northern Indiana braced for a storm that triggered a National Weather Service warning in effect until 11 a.m. Friday, swarms of drivers headed out of Chicago. The holiday travelers clogged expressways, with long delays particularly a problem on Interstate Highway 80, officials said.
Westbound I-80 began experiencing heavy traffic shortly after noon Wednesday, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation. By 4 p.m., the interstate was backed up in both directions.
Hopefully the post-Thanksgiving traffic will go a lot smoother.
