While there’s no place like home for the holidays, seasoned travelers know there’s often no pain like getting there. This Thanksgiving weekend, millions of motorists will take to California’s highways for a chance to see loved ones and get a pumpkin pie fix, and Solano County’s stretch of Interstate 80 will be no exception. According to AAA, Solano County’s average gas price was $4. 431 per gallon on Tuesday, about 16 cents cheaper that the state average, but about $1. 38 higher than the national average. As of Tuesday afternoon, according to the website Gas Buddy, the cheapest gas in Vacaville is $3. 99 at both Sam’s Club at 1500 Helen Power Drive and the Quik Stop at 1091 Leisure Town Road. Sam’s Club requires a membership card to purchase gas. Gas prices in the city range between about $4. 00 and $4. 50 a gallon. In Fairfield, Grand Gasoline at 2990 Travis Boulevard sold gas as of Tuesday at a cash price of $3. 79 per gallon. In Vallejo, Central Gas at 2100 Springs Road offered gas at $3. 95 per gallon. This year, AAA expects 9. 6 million drivers to be on the road in California beginning Tuesday and running until the end of Sunday. That would be an increase of 200, 000 motorists from 2024. “Really, to be safe, what it really comes down to is that you have to give yourself a lot of time to get where you’re going, and you need to be patient,” California Highway Patrol spokesperson Sgt. Andrew Barclay said of the annual Thanksgiving rush that puts car bumpers within inches of each other. “You’re not getting anywhere fast.” The good news: It will be done in calm weather, with clear sky in some areas of the state and cloud-covered sky in others, according to the National Weather Service. No rain or snow is forecast anywhere in the state. “We lucked out,” NWS meteorologist Dylan Flynn said Monday. “There’s a pretty persistent ridge of high pressure along the coast. There could be clouds in the morning, but there’s no real chance of rain. Including air travel, AAA puts the national figure of people traveling at least 50 miles at 81. 8 million people nationally, an increase of 1. 6 million from last year. Johnson said that will establish a new record. Nationally, 73 million people will travel that distance by car. Those figures don’t include the heavy trickle that Barclay said already began to occur on Bay Area freeways late last week. So, the best strategy to stay safe is to be patient and not in a hurry to get anywhere, because it simply isn’t going to happen. “My best advice to people is that as we get closer to Thanksgiving, we’ll see more people traveling,” he said. “So be prepared and plan ahead.” AAA projects that nationwide travelers leaving between noon and 9 p. m. on Tuesday and between 11 a. m. and 8 p. m. on Wednesday will face the slowest crawl. Barclay said it really doesn’t make a difference. CalTrans will suspend its work on non-emergency projects over the holiday weekend. “It doesn’t matter what time you leave,” he said. “There’s no leaving at a different time that’s going to make it easier or harder.” Overall, 36 people across the state died in crashes during the Thanksgiving holiday period in 2024, Barclay said. The CHP also made 1, 100 DUI arrests in the same period. “Very often, we see that people who crash are rushing,” Barclay said. “We also tend to see that when people rush, we have more road rage. So have patience.” The CHP announced on Tuesday that it will conduct a Thanksgiving Holiday Enforcement Period from Wednesday through Sunday on state highways. Officers will be actively looking for speeding, distracted driving, seat belt violations, and impaired driving to help ensure public safety. “As holiday travel increases, we encourage all motorists to drive responsibly and make safety a priority,” the agency said in a release. That’s more than 17. 8 million people who will be screened at airports, according to the Transportation Security Administration. Driving or flying, leave earlier than you think you need to, travel experts advise. Knowing you won’t have to rush to your destination can help calm any nerves, whether it’s lingering anxiety from the shutdown or because you’re traveling with young kids or someone who needs extra help getting around. “These are some very simple things to think about, but they’re important things to think about,” said Sheldon H. Jacobson, an airport and airlines operations expert. Bay Area News Group and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
https://www.thereporter.com/2025/11/25/solano-gears-up-to-crawl/