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Arizonans are expected to hit the roads and airports to return home this weekend after the Thanksgiving holiday.
Approximately 54.3 million Americans were projected to travel more than 50 miles from home over the Thanksgiving holiday, according to AAA. Many holiday travelers will head back to the Valley ahead of the upcoming work week after the long weekend.
Check back at azcentral.com for updates about weather, travel woes and other delays.
9 p.m. Eastbound I-10 closed at Queen Creek
All eastbound lanes of Interstate 10 were closed Sunday night after a wrong-way collision, officials said, slowing travel as the holiday wound to a close.
The Arizona Department of Transportation announced the closure shortly after 8 p.m.
“Drivers may want to consider postponing travel or selecting an alternate route,” ADOT tweeted, later adding that traffic was nearly backed up to State Route 202.
Officials said eastbound traffic must exit at Queen Creek Road, and then can immediately re-enter I-10 using the Queen Creek on-ramp.
ADOT provided a couple of options to circumvent the traffic.
“One possibility is to take the L-202 Santan to SR 87/Arizona Avenue and take that to Riggs Road to reconnect to I-10, or follow SR 87 to I-10,” ADOT said.
Travelers expected worse
Although Sunday was expected to be the busiest travel day of the weekend, the atmosphere at Sky Harbor International Airport airport around 5 p.m. was relatively calm.
Debbie Lewellen, of Portland, Oregon, flew in for a wedding over the weekend. She was waiting for her flight home Sunday evening.
“It’s been very calm, cool and collected,” she said. “I haven’t seen too many people rushing or anything,” she said.
Goodyear resident Jeff Addy, his wife Laura and their one-year-old daughter, Faye, returned to Sky Harbor Sunday after a family visit to Salt Lake City. Jeff said he expected worse Sunday.
“(It was) not that bad,” he said of his travel experience Sunday. “Going there wasn’t bad either on Wednesday, I was surprised.”
A line of cars waited outside Terminal 4 as holiday travelers made their way into the airport early Sunday evening. There were no signs of major holdups in the area. But in the case that any travelers were feeling stressed, there was at least one airport volunteer ready with help.
Sophie, a 6-year-old beagle, was working at Sky Harbor Sunday as a therapy dog.
“Sophie’s purpose really is just to reduce holiday travel stress,” said Cheyanne Leeds, the dog’s handler and owner. “She’s such a calm and happy pup that she just really helps reduce that travel anxiety for many.”
Leeds and Sophie, who are volunteers at the airport, wandered around as travelers made their way through Terminal 4.
Leeds said the airport first offered therapy dogs in September 2017. The dogs only work during heavy travel times.
5 p.m. No big crashes, but slow going on I-10
The Arizona Department of Transportation reported heavy traffic on Interstate 10 east and west of metro Phoenix late Sunday afternoon.
ADOT officials advised motorists to expect slow going on eastbound I-10 west of Phoenix. The longest delays were from Palo Verde Road to about Watson Road.
A crash near Watson Road was cleared, but left residual delays, which persisted with heavy traffic.
On the I-10 easy of the Valley, ADOT said delays were possible between Casa Grande and Phoenix in both directions and the going was slow between Casa Grande and Tuscon as well.
No long delays were reported on I-17 between Phoenix and Flagstaff.
Noon: Avoid congestion at Sky Harbor Airport
Officials recommend using the Washington and 44th Street PHX Sky Train Station for pickup and drop-off to avoid terminal curb congestion and roadway traffic around Sky Harbor International Airport.
9:30 a.m. Sunday: Today expected to be busiest travel day of Thanksgiving weekend
The Transportation Security Administration is expecting Sunday to be the busiest day for Thanksgiving travel as people return home to head back to work after the holiday.
TSA officials said more than 2.7 million passengers are expected to fly home on the final day of Thanksgiving weekend. About 2.1 million people go through an airport on a typical day. The TSA prepared for a record-breaking 25 million passenger to pass through one of the security screening checkpoints throughout the country from Nov. 16 through Sunday — a 5 percent increase from 2017.
More than 500 flights had been cancelled across the country as a winter storm moved across the Midwest, according to flight-tracking service FlightTracker.
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport officials reported at least nine flights travelling to or from the Midwest were cancelled as of 9:45 a.m. Dozens of others were delayed.
Only 10 percent of Thanksgiving travelers fly, according to the TSA. The remaining 90 percent opt to travel by car.
Roads still were clear Sunday morning, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.
Noon Saturday: Heavy traffic on 1-17 near Anthem
The Arizona Department of Transportation reported heavy traffic and slowing on Interstate 17 starting at Anthem in north Phoenix. Drivers may be heading to northern Arizona for the long holiday weekend.
ADOT said there hadn’t been any crashes in the area.
9:30 a.m. Saturday: Post-holiday storm could complicate return travel
Winter weather could cause major delays and complications for travelers flying or driving back to Arizona from the Midwest Saturday and Sunday.
Wintry weather was expected to hit states from Kansas through Michigan starting Saturday and lasting through Monday.
Some of the biggest airlines — including Southwest, America, United and Delta — announced change fees would be waived as the Midwest storms approached. The waivers allows customers to change their itineraries without being hit with a major fee. Travelers should check with their specific airline carrier for additional details and a list of affected airports.
The storm could wreak havoc for travelers during what was heralded as the busiest Thanksgiving for air travel ever. Sunday has been projected to be the busiest day for the Thanksgiving period, according to USA Today.
The National Weather Service said the storm could produce blizzard conditions in Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas and Michigan.
Arizonans driving home from the Midwest could find themselves stuck on the highways in heavy snow with low visibility.
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