Massachusetts Thanksgiving 2017 Travel Guide

If you're traveling for Thanksgiving this year, you'll have plenty of company. AAA predicts about 51 million Americans will hit the road, travel by train or take to the skies for Turkey Day in 2017. That amounts to the highest volume of travelers in a dozen years, the organization said.

It'll be congested all over, and in Massachusetts, it's not expected to be any different. Massachusetts Department of Transportation and CEO Secretary Stephanie Pollack said Turkey Day travel has been growing over the past several years and may be the single busiest day for Bay State roads and Logan Airport.

"We know from previous years that we can expect more people on the roads this week," Pollack said in a statement.

With that in mind, consider these tips for navigating your trip throughout Massachusetts.

Live Traffic Conditions

To view live traffic conditions in each region, click the three dots at the bottom of the map and click the icon with two cars. From there, check the boxes for "traffic slowdowns" and "traffic incidents."

Boston Area

North Shore

Merrimack Valley

South Shore

South Coast

Cape Cod

MetroWest

Central Mass.

Hitting The Road

AAA says the worst time for drivers this week in the metro Boston area is Tuesday evening from 5:15-7:15 p.m., when delays are expected to be over twice as bad as usual. The worst road? The Mass. Pike westbound at I-84/US-20, which is expected to experience some of the worst congestion in the country.

In 2016, Google Maps compiled the best (and worst) travel times for Thanksgiving in Massachusetts. It'll likely look the same this year.

• The best day to leave is Sunday before Thanksgiving at 6 a.m. Avoid traveling around 3 p.m. when traffic is at its worst.

• The worst day to leave is the day before Thanksgiving (Wednesday). If you have to leave on Wednesday, your best bet is to hit the road at 7 a.m. and avoid driving around 3 p.m.

• The best day to return is the day after Thanksgiving (Friday). If you can leave the day after Thanksgiving, your best bet is to hit the road at 6 a.m. Avoid traveling around 4 p.m. when traffic is at its worst.

• The worst day to return is the Saturday after Thanksgiving. If you have to return on Saturday, leave by 6 a.m. and avoid traveling around 4 p.m. when traffic is at its worst.

For in-the-moment updates on traffic and road conditions, MassDOT suggests the following:

• Download MassDOT's GoTime mobile app and view real-time traffic conditions before setting out on the road.

• Download Waze, the real-time traffic navigation app that provides motorists with real-time traffic conditions across Massachusetts.
• Visit mass511.com to view travel times, road construction, traffic alerts or crashes along a route. Incidents, road closures, lane closures, real-time live traffic cameras, and weather alerts/forecasts, can all be viewed on the interactive live Traffic Map.
• Dial 511 from a landline or cell phone to hear information on current conditions on major roadways.
• Register for a Mass511 account to create and personalize routes and alerts to be notified of events on those routes ahead of time.
• Check MassDOT Highway Traffic and Travel Resources.
• Follow MassDOT on Twitter @MassDOT as incidents that impact traffic flow are generally mentioned in tweets if they occur on the state's major highways.

Additionally, the High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane on I-93 between Boston and Quincy will have normal morning hours and will extend its hours to be open from 2 p.m., to 8 p.m., on Tuesday, November 21, and from 1 p.m., to 8 p.m., on Wednesday, November 22. The HOV lane will be closed on Thursday, November 23, and Friday, November 24 and will resume normal operations on Monday, November 27.

Stay awake!

Free coffee will be served at the 18 MassDOT service plazas from 10 p.m. Thursday, November 23, through 5 a.m., Friday, November 24. The plazas serving free coffee include 11 service plazas along the Mass. Pike plus plazas along Route 3 in Plymouth, Route 128 in Beverly, Route 128/I-95 in Newton and Lexington, Route 6 in Barnstable, and the Route 24 northbound and southbound plazas.

Road Construction

Roadway construction will be halted at 12 p.m. on Wednesday, November 22. Travel conditions will also be evaluated on Tuesday, November 21, and MassDOT will make adjustments to any ongoing construction activities as necessary.

All travel lanes on the Cape Cod Canal's Sagamore and Bourne bridges will be open Wednesday, November 22, through Sunday, November 26.

"Safety is always our first priority and we advise all travelers to drive safely and exercise smart driving habits," Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver said in a release. "We want to ensure everyone reaches their destination to celebrate the holiday with friends and family. Before heading out onto the roadways, travelers should check our many travel resources, make informed decisions, and adjust their plans according to traffic conditions."

If You're Flying...

At Boston Logan Airport, travelers should keep an eye on www.massport.com for updated airline and airport information and Transportation Security Administration carry-on luggage regulations. The Massport website allows travelers to check flight status, parking conditions and public transportation options from their smartphone or tablet.

Massport also encourages travelers to check with their airlines before heading to the airport for the most updated flight status and travel information.

Last year, Pollack advised travelers to arrive roughly two hours early for domestic flights and three hours early for international.

For travelers getting to and from Logan Airport:

• MBTA Silver Line provides service between South Station and Logan’s terminals every 10 minutes. Outbound service from Logan Airport to the South Boston Seaport District and South Station is free.

• To accommodate customers traveling to and from Logan International Airport, additional Silver Line 1 service will be offered from Wednesday, November 22, through Monday, November 27.

• MBTA Blue Line provides subway service between points in Boston, North of Boston and Airport Station. Water transportation is also available from Downtown Boston and the Logan dock.

• Massport provides free shuttle service to and from all terminals; the airport rental car center and the MBTA Blue Line Station.

• Logan Express serves 5 locations including Peabody, Framingham, Woburn, Braintree and Back Bay. There are also several bus and taxi options available.

MBTA Service Guide

The MBTA has released the following information regarding travel during the Thanksgiving travel period:

• There will be additional extra coach cars on MBTA Commuter Rail lines including the outbound Franklin, Needham, Kingston, Plymouth, Providence and Worcester line trains leaving downtown stations on Wednesday, November 22, between 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.

• Commuter Rail lines will operate on a regular weekday schedule on Wednesday, November 22. On Thanksgiving, November 23, commuter rail lines will operate on aSunday schedule. On Friday, November 25, commuter rail will operate on regular weekday schedules.

The Red Line, Orange Line, Blue Line and Green Line will operate on a regular weekday schedule on Wednesday, November 22, and on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 23, the Red, Orange, Blue and Green lines will operate on a Sunday schedule.

• On Friday, November 24, the Red, Orange and Blue lines will operate on a regular Friday schedule, while the Mattapan Trolley and Green Line branches will operate on aSaturday schedule.

• Bus service and The RIDE will operate on a Sunday schedule on Thanksgiving Day only.

• On Wednesday, November 22, Hingham and Hull ferry service will operate on a modified weekday schedule, and Charlestown service will operate on a regular weekday schedule. On Thanksgiving Day, there will be no Hingham, Hull or Charlestown ferry service.

View the full MBTA holiday schedule.

Image via Pixabay