If you’re planning to leave Maryland for Thanksgiving, brace yourselves: Over 1.5 million others are, too.

More than 1.37 million Marylanders will travel by car for Thanksgiving, slightly up from was the 1.36 million of those who got on the road for the holiday last year.

AAA suggests peak congestion along the Baltimore-Washington Parkway commuting from Washington, D.C., to Baltimore will be around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday. Analysts say travelers can anticipate a nearly two-hour commute, a 166% increase in what it typically takes to travel the route.

What are the best times to travel?

During the Thanksgiving holiday period, marked from Tuesday to Dec. 1, the Maryland Department of Transportation said peak congestion periods will likely be as follows:

• Tuesday: 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. and between 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.
• Wednesday: 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.
• Sunday: 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

MDOT encourages motorists to travel outside of peak congestion and offered the best times to travel as follows:

Bay Bridge

• Tuesday: Before 1 p.m. and after 8 p.m.
• Wednesday: Before 9 a.m. and after 7 p.m.
• Thursday: Before 10 a.m. and after 3 p.m.
• Friday: Before 9 a.m. and after 6 p.m.
• Saturday: Before 10 a.m. and after 8 p.m.
• Sunday: Before 11 a.m. and after 8 p.m.

Interstate 95

• Tuesday: Before noon and after 10 p.m.
• Wednesday: Before 8 a.m. and after 9 p.m.
• Thursday: Before 8 a.m. and after 4 p.m.
• Friday: Before 10 a.m. and after 6 p.m.
• Saturday: Before 8 a.m. and after 10 p.m.
• Sunday: Before 8 a.m. and after 10 p.m.

US 301

• Wednesday: Before 10 a.m. and after 6 p.m.
• Sunday: Before noon and after 6 p.m.

Additionally, MDOT said, the State Highway Administration will suspend non-emergency lane closures from Wednesday to Dec. 2 at 9 a.m. as Marylanders hit the road for the holidays. Officials stressed driving sober, buckling up, slowing down and being patient with those you’re sharing the road with — especially considering that 425 people across Maryland have already lost their lives to car crashes, MDOT said.

“The holidays are a special time to be with family and friends, and we want everyone to get there safely,” MDOT Acting Secretary Samantha J. Biddle said in a news release. “Whether you’re driving across town or flying across the country, safety should always come first.”

Nationally, AAA projects a record-breaking 81.8 million people to travel during the Thanksgiving period, nearly 90% of whom will do so by car. That number could increase, though, mirroring the bump in bus and rail rides this holiday season following the lingering fallout of flight cancellations at major airports in the area during the government shutdown.

More Marylanders are choosing a bus, train or other mode of travel for the holidays this year than last year. Nearly 29,000 Marylanders are traveling by bus, train or other modes for Thanksgiving, a 6% increase from last year.

Representatives from Amtrak said in a news release that they are anticipating a bump in travelers for the second year in a row. Last year, they saw a 3% bump in train riders in the Baltimore region, per the news release.

Amtrak representatives warn that the Tuesday and Wednesday before and Sunday after Thanksgiving are the busiest times to travel.

Still, about 104,000 Marylanders are flying this Thanksgiving, compared to more than 101,000 of those who traveled by air last year. Luckily, travel operations at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport are expected to normalize by the Thanksgiving holiday period, officials said.

Earlier this month, 40 airports, including BWI, Dulles International Airport and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, reduced flights by 10% amid air traffic controller shortages amplified by the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. This triggered several cancellations at the largest airports in the region for weeks until the government reopened.