Travel tips for the holiday season

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - Today is the first day of the Year-End Holiday Travel season.

It's longer than the Thanksgiving travel season, so the traffic may not be as bad as what we saw back in November.

But still, 93 million people will travel in the next week and a half.

90% of those travelers will drive.

MassDOT says drivers should expect heavy volume on the Mass Pike at Exit 9 at the 84 interchange.

MassDOT suggests traveling during the early morning or after 8 p.m. 

If you want to check out the roads before you head out, MassDOT's website has more than 90 traffic cameras.

You can also call 5-1-1 for traffic conditions throughout the holiday weekend.

Gas prices have dropped about 50 cents a gallon since September, but will remain between $3.20 and $3.40 from now until New Year's Day.