Holiday travelers begin filling West Tennessee roadways

JACKSON, Tenn. — Holidays spark travel and bring many families back together. We spoke with drivers passing through West Tennessee, with destinations ranging from Texas to New York. For some, this is their first time traveling since the pandemic began.

“Well, we didn’t travel last year. We mainly stayed home. This was our first outing,” said traveler Wendy Davis.

For others, staying close to home for another year is what works best for them.

“We’ll probably go to a couple of state parks, maybe go see some folks, but basically staying close to home,” Harry Oxnard said.

As for the roadways, the travelers we spoke with all said the interstate hasn’t been any more crowded than a normal day.

“There’s not been any accidents or anything like that, roads have been… they have not been congested,” said Michael Davis. “It’s been flowing really smooth and nice. Everyone’s been courteous.”

“It wasn’t too bad compared to what it is usually, I guess people [aren’t] traveling because of the COVID,” Walter Grekulak said.

With the pandemic, many still would rather travel by car than in a plane.

“He won’t fly,” Grekulak said, referring to his travel partner. “I tell him, ‘three hours, you’re back up there.’ Nope, nope.”

If you are traveling this holiday season, remember to check the TDOT SmartWay map to see traffic and “know before you go.”

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