PORTLAND — Roads may be heavily congested again for this year’s Thanksgiving travels, according to projections from the American Automobile Association.

AAA predicts that 53.4 million Americans will travel for the holiday, which is a rise of 13% from the numbers in 2020. With travel numbers nearing that of 2019, the projected boost in travel is expected to be the largest single-year increase since 2005.

“Travel is again high on the list for Americans who are looking forward to spending time with family and friends this Thanksgiving,” AAA Public Affairs Director Marie Dodds said. “But it means travelers should plan for roads and airports to be noticeably more crowded than what we experienced during the pandemic.”

The projections from AAA show that roughly 16.2% of the entire American population will travel for Thanksgiving, while approximately 17.7% of Oregon citizens will traverse. That works out to about 746,000 Oregonians traveling for turkey day.

In 2019, approximately 49.9 million Americans traveled by automobile, 4.6 million flew and 1.5 million traveled by public transportation. Due to a severe drop in travel due to COVID-19 in 2020, roughly five and a half million less automobile travelers hit the road and air travel was cut in half by just over two million.

As this Thanksgiving approaches, AAA predicts 652,000 Oregonians will travel via automobile and 86,000 will fly.

A steep rise in gasoline prices over the last year is having an impact on projections, but not to a large extent. AAA noted the gas prices are not seen as a means to limiting travel, as those hitting the road will cut costs elsewhere. Gas prices are roughly $1 more per gallon than during last year’s Thanksgiving holiday.

“Gas prices aren’t keeping people home,” Dodds said. “Those who need to trim expenses will do so in other ways such as limiting dining out and looking for more budget-friendly choices in accommodations and other activities.”

Upon travel returning to a fuller extent this year, AAA is reporting hotel rates are up nearly 50% and rental car rates have risen about 4%. The top travel spots for AAA Oregon members are Anaheim, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, San Diego and Maui.

According to AAA, the organization will receive roughly 8,200 calls for road assistance over the holiday. The top issues typically involve dead batteries, flat tires and lockouts.

AAA urges caution and planning ahead for this Thanksgiving, noting that busy roads and airports should be expected. According to the organization’s website, those who travel by airplane should expect full flights.

AAA defines Thanksgiving holiday travel period as Nov. 24-28. AAA predicts the busiest travel days will take place on the Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving.