Florida’s Most Congested Thanksgiving Routes

As Thanksgiving travel ramps up, Florida drivers face some of the heaviest traffic conditions of the season. The state ranks as one of the nation’s top holiday destinations, which means major corridors fill quickly, especially near tourist hubs and cruise ports.

Here is a list of Florida's most congested routes during Thanksgiving:

I-4 (Orlando area)

Running through one of the nation’s top Thanksgiving destinations, I-4 carries huge volumes of visitors heading to Orlando’s theme parks and attractions.

Orlando is also among the busiest U.S. markets for Thanksgiving car rentals, and forecasts show peak holiday trips between Tampa and Orlando taking up to about 85% longer than on a normal day.

I-95 (Miami/Fort Lauderdale area)

I-95 is one of the busiest highways in the United States, and traffic through Miami–Fort Lauderdale regularly grinds down during rush hours.

Around the cruise ports of Miami and Fort Lauderdale, holiday weekends and heavy embarkation days often trigger long backups and slow-moving traffic.

I-75 (Tampa Bay area and Gulf Coast)

A recent ConsumerAffairs report ranked Tampa the worst U.S. city for holiday traffic, citing a 36% jump in congestion and a sharp increase in miles driven during the holiday quarter.

Forecasts from AAA and INRIX show the I-75 corridor serving Tampa—especially the stretch between Fort Myers and Tampa—experiencing some of the steepest Thanksgiving travel time increases in the country.

Florida’s Turnpike (Ronald Reagan Turnpike)

As a primary north–south toll artery linking South Florida with Central Florida and I-75, Florida’s Turnpike carries very heavy volumes of long-distance and commuter traffic.

Congestion is particularly intense near the Miami-Dade line, where Turnpike and I-95 traffic feed into the same metro area.

US-19 (Pinellas County)

While not a statewide interstate, US-19 through Pinellas County is one of Florida’s deadliest and most crash-prone corridors, with dozens of fatalities in recent years.

Its high speeds, complex access points, and heavy local volumes make it a major pain point for Tampa Bay drivers, especially when holiday traffic spikes.

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A little route awareness goes a long way. Keeping these hot spots in mind can help you avoid unnecessary delays this holiday season.