To skip holiday traffic this week, avoid I-40 in Garner

The North Carolina Department of Transportation shared congestion data from the days surrounding Thanksgiving 2017. It showed delays building on both sides of I-40 through Raleigh and Garner by 1 p.m. on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.

WRAL On-Time Traffic

Around the same time, traffic clogged I-40 West in south Durham and Chapel Hill. The data showed that delays on Triangle-area interstates lingered into the evening, eventually clearing around 7:30 p.m.

Data from the Saturday after Thanksgiving 2017 showed some people cutting their holiday weekend short.

Why you'll see troopers every 20 miles on I-40 for Thanksgiving travel

Traffic slowed on I-40 West through Garner around 11:45 a.m., on Saturday, Nov. 25, 2017. Average speeds through that stretch of I-40 were slower than usual until around 3:30 p.m., but most other Triangle interstates remained clear.

Traffic was more congested around the Triangle on the Sunday after Thanksgiving as people returned home. The I-40 West bottleneck at the Clayton Bypass near Garner slowed traffic from around noon on Sunday, Nov. 26, 2017, until just after 5 p.m.

Both sides of I-40 in south Durham and Chapel Hill saw intermittent delays in the mid-afternoon, but nothing was as significant and persistent as the backups near Garner.

NCDOT said last year’s maps cannot predict exact conditions this Thanksgiving, but the data could act as a guide for timing drives during the holiday weekend.

Most major road construction projects in the state are on hold through Monday morning. Construction has closed I-40 Business in downtown Winston-Salem between exits 5A and 6A. NCDOT expects heavier traffic on Interstate 40, I-70, U.S. Highway 52 and surrounding sections of I-40 Business.

There is good news for drivers north of the Triangle. The resurfacing project along Interstate 85 between Henderson and the Virginia state line is mostly finished. All lanes are open.