The Pennsylvania Turnpike is counting down the final days of 2024 by getting ready for what’s traditionally among the busiest long-distance travel periods of the year.

The PA Turnpike projects nearly 6.5 million vehicles will travel the Turnpike system between today and Jan. 1, 2025.

The estimates are: today, 650,000 motorists; Saturday, 525,000, Sunday, 440,000; Monday, 590,000; Tuesday, 490,000, and Christmas Day, 395,000.

After Christmas, the turnpike estimates 545,000 travelers on Dec. 26; Dec. 27, 610,000; Dec. 28, 515,000; Dec. 29, 425,000; Dec. 30, 535,000, Dec. 31, 460,000, and 310,000 on Jan. 1.

December in Pennsylvania can bring any kind of weather from rain to ice and snow, which is why they are encourage to prepare by finding real-time traffic and roadway conditions online at 511pa.com and allowing plenty of time to get safely to their destination. 511PA also allows motorists to set up personalized travel alerts for specific roadways, days of the week, and times of the day.

As the PA Turnpike gets ready for next month’s launch of Open Road Tolling, customers are also encouraged to get ready for the launch by ensuring their account is up to date and their E-ZPass transponder is properly mounted at all times. Having an E-ZPass account remains the most cost-effective way to travel on the PA Turnpike.