Happy Thanksgiving, Houston!

Hello Houston, welcome back and happy Thanksgiving! Here’s what you need to know:

Don’t drink and drive:

• If you’re going to enjoy some holiday apple cider with a little adult kick, just remember: don’t drink and drive. Plan your ride home ahead of time. Let’s keep everyone safe this Thanksgiving holiday.
• Did you know: Texas is the most deadly of all 50 U.S. states for driving over the Thanksgiving holiday? And, five of the top 10 deadliest driving cities are in the Lone Star State. Also, in 2020 nearly 40% of fatal car accidents on holidays involved a drunk driver. Texas ranked No. 3 among the most dangerous states for drunk driving. So drivers, you may want to take extra precaution when commuting to and from holiday festivities this year.
  • According to a car insurance app called Jerry, Saturday, which includes the early morning hours after midnight Friday, is the most dangerous day to drive during the holiday week. Friday is a close second, including early morning hours after Thanksgiving and throughout the day on Black Friday. Early in the morning the Monday after Thanksgiving is the safest time to drive.

SH-249 Expansion:

• The Texas Department of Transportation has been working on expanding State Highway 249 in Grimes and Montgomery county since 2017 and just a few weeks ago, TXDOT announced the project is complete and ahead of schedule. If you live Tomball or Magnolia, heading to grandma’s for Thanksgiving or even accessing Santa’s Wonderland will be much easier this holiday season, with the newest stretch of SH-249 finally open to traffic. To read more, click here.

73rd Annual H-E-B Thanksgiving Day Parade

The 73rd Annual H-E-B Thanksgiving Day Parade will take place on Thursday, Nov. 24, 2022 at 9 a.m. Located in the heart of downtown Houston, this event is one of the oldest Thanksgiving Day parades in the country. Each year, several hundred thousand Houstonians line the streets to cheer on participants. The parade will traverse over 20 city blocks and will feature elaborate floats, colorful marching bands, high-flying balloons and other uniquely Houston entries. For more information, click here.

If you plan on traveling downtown or will be attending the parade, be mindful of street closures in/around the parade route.

Houston police said all streets should be reopened by 3 p.m.

Uptown Holiday Lighting:

• The iconic Houston family tradition, the 34th Annual Uptown Holiday Lighting, will take place on Thanksgiving evening, Nov. 24, 2022. The holiday season will officially begin with the illumination of Uptown’s 300 custom, 20-foot holiday trees along Post Oak Boulevard from the West Loop to Richmond Avenue. This is a free family event featuring festive holiday shopping and treats, unique street entertainment and the sights and sounds of the holiday season, plus a special appearance from Santa. Following the ceremonial lighting of Uptown’s holiday trees, the evening will culminate with a dazzling light show followed by an exhilarating fireworks extravaganza. This is event is set to happen rain or shine, but in the event that we get severe weather, this event could be delayed or canceled.
  • Festival Schedule – Rain or Shine!
  • 4 p.m. Holiday Market, Music, and More
  • 7 p.m. Dazzling Light Show and Firework Extravaganza
    • Welcome Santa for a countdown to light up Uptown for the holidays! The evening will culminate with a dazzling tree light show and fireworks extravaganza, illuminating Houston from the sidewalks to the sky.

Drive safely my friends :)

Anavid Reyes

KPRC 2 traffic expert

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Airports

If you’re catching a flight this year for the Thanksgiving holiday, Houston Airports encourages you to do these things:

• Book your parking spot early, online,
• Remember to go over the TSA rules for prohibited items,
• And travel with carry-on and avoid checking in a bag.

If you’re flying out Bush Airport, expect construction delays, so plan to arrive at least two hours before your flight.

Recent questions

• Thanksgiving travel underway: What Houstonians need to know before they depart
• Watch KPRC 2′s Holiday Lights Spectacular live on Saturday

Construction closures

• Due to the holiday weekend, TXDOT will not have any new active closures. Whatever closures are already in place, will stay in place.

Houston’s big projects

• The Gulf Freeway Expansion
• The Grand Parkway
• The West Loop-Southwest Freeway Interchange Rebuild

Get your traffic news, maps and route planner 24/7 at Click2Houston.com/traffic.