Thanksgiving week is one of the year's most hectic travel periods, and getting off Long Island will be no easy feat. But there are a few ways to beat the crowds — as well as the regular congested standbys.

“The outlook if you’re driving is pretty bleak,” said Sam Schwartz, a former New York City traffic commissioner and founder of Sam Schwartz Engineering firm.

While ridership on public transportation has yet to return to pre-pandemic levels, car traffic has rebounded and truck volumes are at 110% of what they were in 2019, he said. Every truck on the road is equivalent to two to three vehicles.

From Tuesday through Sunday, more than 5 million cars are expected to cross seven bridges and two tunnels operated by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

Source consulted /www.newsday.com