Car News

Here are predictions for the worst holiday traffic around Boston

According to AAA and Waze.

Traffic on Route 213 in Methuen crawled during a 2011 snowstorm. Jim Davis/The Boston Globe

December 17, 2017

1 minute to read

A record 107.3 million Americans will travel during the year-end holiday stretch this year, a 3.1 percent increase from 2016, according to AAA. Massachusetts residents will account for 2.3 million of those travelers with just over 2 million going by car.“I think [the increase is due to] a combination of factors: a healthy economy here in Massachusetts, increased consumer confidence, lower unemployment, more people back at work with more disposable income,” said AAA Northeast spokesperson Mary Maguire. “Combined with gasoline prices, while they are higher than last year, are still relatively low.”The worst time to travel around Boston will be Thursday, Dec. 21, from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., AAA projects in partnership with transportation analytics company INRIX. That evening, AAA predicts the roadways will be twice as packed as work commuters are joined by those leaving early for the holiday.Nationally, Monday, Dec. 25, is expected to have the least amount of traffic of any day between December 22 and January 4, according to a representative from the traffic app Waze. Based its 2016 data, Waze expects Monday, Jan. 1, will be like a typical Sunday in terms of traffic.“I think one of the issues with the return trip is that there are fewer options, whereas in terms of leaving for Christmas, you could leave Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, [or] Saturday. There are more options on the start end of the trip,” Maguire said. “We always advise people to leave early in the morning, so either directly before or after the morning rush.”