Driving this week? VDOT’s online tool can help you

Drivers can plan their Thanksgiving travel to avoid the worst traffic, thanks to an online tool from the Virginia Department of Transportation.

According to VDOT, Thanksgiving travelers should hit the road before noon tomorrow to beat the highway congestion in Virginia.

People can see the information online to help schedule their holiday travel around expected times of peak congestion by visiting www.virginiadot.org/news/thanksgiving_2008_travel_trends.asp.

Data gathered from the past few years show the heaviest traffic volume on the interstate system will likely be from noon to 8 p.m. on Wednesday.

Congestion on the return trip is harder to predict, VDOT said, as motorists heading home are spread out from Friday through Sunday of the holiday weekend. However, the department expects the heaviest traffic on Sunday afternoon.

VDOT will ease Thanksgiving travel by opening lanes temporarily closed for construction or maintenance work on major roadways.

The lanes will be open from noon tomorrow until noon Friday. Long-term construction zones will remain in place.

VDOT measures congestion using pavement sensors to analyze the average speed and traffic volume for each hour during the day.

A drop in speed and a matching rise in volume indicates congestion, which may be due to a traffic incident or heavy traffic, the department said. VDOT has collected speed and traffic volume data for major interstates using pavement sensors since April 2003.

Gas prices continue to fall as Thanksgiving approaches, with the national average for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline at $1.91 yesterday, down from $2.09 a week ago, according to AAA Mid-Atlantic.

In the Richmond-Petersburg area, the average price of gas is $1.76, down 8 cents from Friday. Across the state, the average price is $1.81.

Temperatures will remain below normal throughout the Thanksgiving holiday. Tomorrow and Thursday, the high will be in the lower 50s as a cold front approaches the region for the weekend. By Friday, temperatures are forecast to reach the mid-50s before returning to the low to mid-50s on Saturday and around 50 on Sunday.

Forecasters at the National Weather Service in Wakefield are calling for a 30 percent to 40 percent chance of rain late Friday and all of Saturday.

For real-time information about traffic incidents affecting the roadways, visit www.511virginia.org.
Contact Peter Bacqué at (804) 649-6813 or .

Staff writer Jeremy Slayton contributed to this report.