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AAA: Nearly four million Texans hitting the road for Thanksgiving travel
Starting Wednesday, a near-record number of people will be on the roads for the holidays. Even more will be flying — or at least trying to fly — to their destination.
DALLAS - Starting Wednesday, a near-record number of people will be on the roads for the holidays. Even more will be flying — or at least trying to fly — to their destination.
According to AAA, about 3.8 million Texans will hit the roadways this Thanksgiving holiday. Many more will be flying. But with severe weather pounding parts the country, some travelers may hit a roadblock.
Before the eating and drinking can commence, Texans need to get to their Thanksgiving destination.
At DFW Airport on Tuesday, it was eerily quiet. Passengers were pleasantly surprised by how empty the terminals were.
“We got in and out and parking was fine,” said traveler Chris Lange. “No problems at all.”
“It's really not crowded. It's light,” said traveler Chuck Bahotu. “I was expecting it to be really crowded, but it's not.”
Dallas, Texas, Skyline, View of Dallas Freeways and Traffic as seen from Reunion Tower Observation Deck. (Photo by: Visions of America/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
But some travelers may experience turbulence on the receiving end. Colorado was pounded by a winter storm overnight. Parts of Denver were hit with up to 10 inches of snow.
Back in North Texas, TxDOT maintenance crews are implementing plans in preparation of the winter season by testing out brine sprayers and other pieces of heavy machinery used to treat the roads ahead of icy conditions.
There's no need for them now, although cold and rainy conditions are in the forecast for North Texas this week.
“At this time, we're ready to go and watching the weather forecast like everyone else,” said Tony Hartzel with TxDOT.
With nearly four million Texans trekking 50 miles or more to their Thanksgiving feasts, Wednesday is expected to be much busier.
With gas prices holding steady year to year, AAA says the average gas price is only up by a penny per gallon over this time last year.