GREEN BAY, Wis. (NBC 26) — Thousands of Northeast Wisconsinites are on the move for Thanksgiving.
"People should prepare for the roads and airports to be noticeably more crowded than last year's holiday," Department of Transportation Northeast Region Communications Manager Mark Kantola said.
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According to AAA,about 53 million Americans are expected to travel for the holiday, including 48 million projected to use the roadways.
"They're predicting about one million people hit the roads here in Wisconsin," Kantola said. "That's about 120,000 more than last year. So obviously there's more people that are going to be on the roads this year."
The DOT says peak travel times around the Northeast region were from noon to 8 p.m. Wednesday. And the same goes for this Sunday.
"We shut down any projects that are ongoing so we don't have the extra construction vehicles, dump trucks, etcetera," Kantola said.
On Wednesday afternoon, Wisconsin State Patrol Sergeant Erik Heinz said he noticed an increased amount of traffic on local roads.
"It's kind of going back to where we used to be as far as holiday traffic and it's very high volumes," Heinz said. "And we're expecting it to be back to about normal level this year."
The current cost of gas is in Wisconsin is about $3.12 per gallon, compared to Thanksgiving last year when prices sat around a $1.89. With more travelers across the country, law officials advise drivers to plan ahead.
"With as much scares over the last year or two here with Covid-19, people are starting to get out and about and just need to pay attention to their driving to make sure their travels are safe," Heinz said.
Both the Highway Patrol and DOT recommend checking traffic levels and road closures before hitting the road.
