It’s the final countdown to 2026, and the Pennsylvania Turnpike is getting ready for what’s traditionally a busy travel period.

The Pa. Turnpike projects nearly 7.4 million vehicles will travel the Turnpike system between today and Jan. 1.

Projected numbers are: Today, 675,000; Saturday, Dec. 20, 510,000; Sunday, Dec. 21, 420,000; Monday, Dec. 22, 620,000; Tuesday, Dec. 23, 650,000; Wednesday, Dec. 24, 525,000; Christmas, 400,000; Dec. 26, 550,000; Dec. 27, 540,000; Dec. 28, 480,000; Dec. 29, 600,000; Dec. 30, 610,000; Dec. 31, 520,000; and Jan. 1, 320,000.

The Pennsylvania Turnpike encourages travelers to prepare by using real-time traffic and roadway conditions available 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.

To support travelers arriving efficiently to their holiday destinations, all roadway construction and maintenance work will be suspended to ensure as many lanes are open as possible. As part of the GEICO Safety Patrol initiative, the Pa. Turnpike will have increased personnel on the roadway, along with Pennsylvania State Police, to support the safety of travelers.

Before hitting the road, drivers can take advantage of the most cost-effective way to travel on the Pa. Turnpike with E-ZPass. Sign up online or find a nearby retailer to save 50% on your tolls. Be sure to properly mount the transponder at all times for a more seamless trip — that means mounting the transponder horizontally and positioning it properly behind the rearview mirror and below the shaded area on the windshield. Regardless of whether people want to save with E-ZPass or travel with Toll By Plate, get ahead of the travel and easily manage tolls through the PA Toll Pay app. Find out exactly how much the toll is going to be ahead of time with the Pa. Turnpike toll calculator.

The switch to open road tolling occurred on the Pa. Turnpike in January for areas east of the Reading Interchange (Exit 286) and the entirety of the Northeast Extension, while the western section of open road tolling on the mainline Pa. Turnpike is finishing construction and is scheduled to launch in early 2027. Where open road tolling is live, the Turnpike is removing toll plazas from interchange locations, which is the driving force behind the safety benefits. Once the toll plazas are removed, each interchange will be reconstructed to provide an unobstructed traffic flow for customers. The reconstruction of interchanges, which includes the removal of toll booths, east of Reading and on the Northeast Extension will be completed by the end of 2026.

Here are some additional tips for traveling this holiday weekend:

• Practice safe driving habits, including driving responsibly, powering off your devices and removing unnecessary distractions.

• “Paul Miller’s Law” is now in effect in Pennsylvania, prohibiting the use of handheld devices while driving, even while stopped temporarily due to traffic, a red light, or other momentary delay.

• If you see an emergency responder on the road, follow Pennsylvania’s Move Over Law and move over into an adjacent lane if it is safe to do so, or slow down to a speed of not more than 20 mph less than the posted speed limit.

• Know that help is just a call away, thanks to the Pennsylvania Turnpike Safety Patrol, sponsored by GEICO. Dial *11 via mobile phone to get support or report an incident or other emergency on the Pa. Turnpike.

• Remember, people will never receive a text from the Pa. Turnpike for unpaid tolls after their travel. Instead, they can access and manage their account safely through the PA Toll Pay app or using their secure login for their E-ZPass account. When in doubt, go directly to the portal and avoid interacting with unsolicited texts, calls or emails.

• To report an incident or other emergency on the Pa. Turnpike, dial *11 via mobile phone. To learn more about Pa. Turnpike conditions, use one of these resources.