CCB MEDIA PHOTO:
Hundreds of travelers get ready to board the ferry from Hyannis to Nantucket on one of the busiest travel days of the year
HYANNIS – The Thanksgiving travel rush was underway Wednesday, as millions of Americans took planes, trains and automobiles to their holiday destinations.
On Cape Cod, the main transportation hubs were bustling with activity. While the roads were mostly clear early in the morning, volume began to build by mid-afternoon.
The commuter parking lot at the Sagamore Bridge was nearly full by 10 a.m., indicating many travelers got an early start to the holiday weekend.
The American Automobile Association says the number of people that will travel for Thanksgiving is expected to increase for the 7th consecutive year.
AAA expects almost 47 million Americans to travel 50 miles or more for the holiday which is an increase of 300,000 from last year and the most travelers since 2007.
CCB MEDIA PHOTO: Travelers waiting at the Hyannis Transportation Center
At the Steamship Authority docks in Hyannis, hundreds were lined up Wednesday morning for the ferry to Nantucket.
Rob from Boston, who declined to give his last name, was heading to his other home on the island to meet up with his wife, who was already there preparing for Thursday’s family feast.
“This is the first year my son and his future wife are going to be coming down. It’s going to be a big day, it’s going to be a big day. I’m getting over there now to help her out and the kids are coming down a little later,” he said.
Lauren Myette of Nantucket was heading to the mainland to visit friends and family in the Taunton area.
“Most of my family is from off-island areas, so I’m coming over to spend the holiday with them and catch up with everybody,” Myette said.
She planned to eat lots of stuffing and maybe catch a movie and do some shopping during her trip.
AAA and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation recommended that travelers drive early in the morning or after 8 p.m. on the days leading up to the holiday to avoid traffic delays.
“In Massachusetts we are predicting that 1,034,000 residents will travel – 900,000 by car,” said AAA Northeast spokesperson Mary Maguire. “Again, we are going to have plenty of company on the way to grandma’s house.”
Maguire said that AAA is noticing a trend of more people traveling earlier in the week.
She added that a terrific time to travel for those staying closer to home is early Thanksgiving morning.
“Typically if you are traveling early there’s very little traffic,” she said. “Certainly there is more congestion as we move into the day.”
She also said travelers that are taking to the skies should start to think about flying on Thanksgiving Day.
“Airfares are usually far cheaper on the actual holiday than they are in the days leading up to it.”
Lillian Caselli waited for her family from Florida to arrive at the Hyannis Transportation Center and said the crowded roadways for the Thanksgiving holiday is good for the Cape.
“I’m happy for Hyannis and the surrounding towns,” said Caselli. “They’ll do a little business this weekend, I think it will be great.”
Emily Henry arrived at the Hyannis Transportation Center from New York City and was on her way to spend Thanksgiving with her family on Nantucket.
She said the holiday traffic was busy.
“It was very busy in South Station in Boston, but it’s different than the summer time, it’s a different feel,” said Henry.
Across the nation, President Barack Obama is urging Americans to go about their normal activities around Thanksgiving, despite what he calls the “troubling reality” of terrorism.
After a briefing by his national security team, Obama said there is currently no “specific and credible” intelligence indicating a terrorist plot on the United States.
He says if intelligence does discover a credible threat, the public will be informed.
Brian Merchant, Matt McCarthy, Justin Saunders and Matt Pitta contributed to this report, which also contains material from the The Associated Press
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