The A34 in Hampshire, between the A33 and M3, is expected to have the worst traffic jams during the festive period this year, according to new research.

Analysis of ONS data, from HGV recruitment and training specialists Driver Hire, has looked at road congestion data from 2017-2020 to reveal which of the UK’s major routes typically see drivers spending the most time stuck in delays.

The company also looked at planned road works listed on One Network between now and the end of the year, around the most congested areas, to see which roads could potentially face more delays than they do on average.

While the A34 is expected to have the highest delays, on average, it’s closely followed by Junction 1 of the M4, in Houndslow.

An estimated 27 million trips by car to see friends and family between December 17 and Christmas Eve are being predicted, with it expected to be the busiest getaway on the roads in five years

Analysis by RAC and Inrix suggests there will be an extended getaway in the run-up to Christmas, with an average of 4.1m such journeys taking place every day next week, culminating in most leisure journeys by car – some 5.3m – taking place on Christmas Eve.

Richard Owen-Hughes, Driver Hire’s group marketing director, said: “Over nearly 40 years in the industry we’ve learned that the Christmas period is always the busiest period of the year for logistics. This year the economy is booming, and it looks more likely that we’ll be able to drive home to spend time with friends and family this Christmas. So we wanted to see which roads typically face the most congestion and are best avoided where possible.

“It’s maybe not surprising to see where some of the hotspots are – around London, the South Coast, the West Midlands and in the Northwest. We are sure people living in these areas are more than familiar with slow journeys on these roads. Still, we hope people find this research useful in planning their journeys this festive season.”

The Top 20 Most Congested Roads to avoid this Christmas:

Local Authority	Road Number	Road Name	Average Delay (seconds per vehicle per mile) 2017-2020	Planned roadworks around the area
Hampshire	A34	A34 southbound between A33 and M3/A272	70.675	Yes
Hounslow	M4	M4 westbound within J1	70.075	Yes
Hounslow	M4	M4 westbound within J2	69.95	Yes
Kent	M25	A282 northbound between A296/A225 and A206	68.75	Yes
West Sussex	A27	A27 eastbound between A24 near Worthing (west) and A24 near Worthing (east)	67.575	Yes
Tameside	M67	M67 westbound between J1A and J1	66.7	No
Tameside	M67	M67 westbound between A57 and J1	66.375	No
Kent	M25	A282 northbound within the A206 junction	63.2	Yes
West Sussex	A27	A27 westbound between B2144 and A259 near Chichester (east)	60.7	Yes
West Sussex	A27	A27 westbound between A285 near Chichester (west) and B2144	58.975	Yes
Tameside	A57	A57 westbound between A628 and A6018	57.95	Yes
Coventry	A45	A45 westbound between A423 and A46 near Coventry (east)	56.1	Yes
Warwickshire	A45	A45 westbound between A423 and A46 near Coventry (east)	55.9	Yes
Hertfordshire	A404(M)	A404(M) southbound between J9A and J9	55.85	No
Windsor and Maidenhead	A404(M)	A404(M) southbound within J9A	54.875	No
Sandwell	M5	M5 northbound within J2	52.4	Yes
Slough	M25	M25 clockwise within J15	52.2	Yes
Sefton	A5036	A5036 northbound between A5207 and M57/M58	52.125	No
Sandwell	M5	M5 southbound within J1	51.975	Yes
Trafford	M60	M60 clockwise within J10	51.9	Yes