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Holiday Traffic Sets Record On West Virginia Turnpike

West Virginia Turnpike

The West Virginia Turnpike has set a record for holiday travel.

From Dec. 22 to Jan 2, 1.26 million vehicles went through the Turnpike’s toll booths, a 27% increase from a year ago, the state Department of Transportation said. Both Christmas and New Year’s Day occurred on weekends.

Traffic also was up nearly 8% compared to the 2019 holiday season, which occurred prior to the start of the pandemic, the department said in a statement.

“We expected a high volume of travel based on the weather forecasts being favorable and the days of the week in which the holidays fell,” said West Virginia Parkways Authority Executive Director Jeff Miller.

The Turnpike also saw a big leap in traffic numbers during Thanksgiving week in November compared with the same week in 2020.