Travel Numbers Expected To Be Up For Thanksgiving

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- The holiday travel rush is on. Millions in Maryland and across the country are braving crowded roads and airports to see their families.  Kelly McPherson explains the roads are packed while threats of protest at the airport fizzled.

Americans are hitting the roads.

"Hampton, Virginia, to visit with my brother," said Peggy Williams.

Many Marylanders will have to go through the worst stretch of road for traffic in the US right now--the 95 corridor.  The section through the Delaware Plaza typically sees a seven-mile backup, but Wednesday it reached 25 miles.

"Plan alternate routes.  Plan to go during off-hours.  That's the best that we can say," said Bob King.

In the late afternoon, Delaware lifted the toll to ease congestion going north.

"Typically leaving early, very early on Thanksgiving morning avoids a lot of congestion," said Ragina Averella, AAA Mid-Atlantic.

Driving south wasn't quite as bad.

"I'm a truck driver by trade--well, I was--and it's not bad.  Christmas is usually worse, I think," said Ralph Bennett.

Twenty-nine thousand Marylanders will fly, up nearly four percent from last year.  Enhanced security with full-body scans and patdowns threaten to delay travelers after a nationwide call to opt out of the faster scans and choose the time-consuming patdowns instead.

"And the patdown part seems to be like assault to me," said one traveler.

"I would rather someone see my insides than someone feel me up so I'm going to totally do the scanning thing," said Caren Calamita.

Protesters did show up at BWI but their executive director says that passengers went through security smoothly.

Most other airports also reported few protesters and more travelers just trying to get to their destinations.