Thanksgiving traffic reaches fever pitch across Chicago

Chicago drivers brace for busy Thanksgiving travel day

Chicago-area roadways are expected to be packed Wednesday as many drivers hit the road to make their Thanksgiving destinations.

CHICAGO - Chicago roadways felt the impact of Thanksgiving traffic on Wednesday.

AAA projected over 70 million people will travel by car for Thanksgiving, nearly one million more travelers than last year's holiday.

"For anybody who's thinking about hitting the road on Thanksgiving Day, we typically see traffic start to pick up around 11 a.m. and then drop off around 1 p.m.," said Christina Bastillo from the Waze driving app.

Friday, those traveling by car are encouraged to leave after 1 p.m. to avoid backups, but before 1 p.m. if you’re driving on Saturday.

Experts with AAA are forecasting traffic to reach its peak between noon and 6 p.m. on Sunday, and between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Monday.

The Chicago Department of Aviation projected over 1.8 million travelers will pass through O'Hare and Midway airports between Tuesday and Monday, Dec. 2.

O'Hare International Airport promises to be particularly busy with an anticipated increase of 11% in passenger traffic compared to last Thanksgiving, officials said. Sunday is expected to be the busiest travel day at the airport with the weight of more than 254,000 passengers.

Aviation officials project travel levels at Midway Airport to remain consistent with last year's holiday.