Be ready for extremely crowded roads and airports

SALT LAKE CITY – With Christmas only five days away, thousands of Utahns are still gearing up to hit the crowded roads this weekend.

The busiest day on the freeways has already passed.  Analysts with AAA say more drivers started their trips on Wednesday, but, they still expect the roads to be crowded over the weekend.  The best time to start the drive may be Friday morning, since they don’t expect traffic to become very bad until 3 p.m.

Spokesman Michael Blasky says drivers should not just worry about the traffic, but they need to look out for bad weather, also.

“On Sunday and Monday, there could be some of that freezing rain.  We would definitely advise people who are heading out Sunday and Monday to be particularly aware of road conditions,” he says.

Traffic leading up to the holiday is spread out over several days, but, Blasky says, “Wednesday is a little bit different because, unlike the lead up to Christmas, most people will return to their home on Wednesday.”

That’s when they expect traffic to be nightmarish, no matter when you travel.

“That’s the day we’re going to see a lot of packed roads in the early morning and the afternoons, pretty much as everyone gears up to head out to the airport or drive to their destination,” he adds.

The airports are expected to be slammed with people, as well.  Mark Lewis with the TSA says, “We may be at as high as 28 or 29 thousand the day after Christmas.”  That’s a few thousand more than their daily average.