Traveling on Highway 99? Here's how to survive holiday traffic

MADERA, Calif. (KFSN) -- Tis' the season of heavy traffic.

As we inch closer to Christmas more travelers are pouring onto highways across the Central Valley.

Madera County CHP says to expect some delays if you're driving on the 99.

"It is going to be congestion all day long every day for the rest of the holiday season, more than likely," says CHP officer James Yates.

In the City of Madera, high-speed rail construction has already resulted in delays.

Yates says mix that with busy evening traffic and holiday travel and you could get some frustrated drivers.

"Weaving through traffic, zig-zagging, trying to get where you're going isn't going to be beneficial because all these cars are trying to get to the same place and there is nowhere for them to go right now," says Yates.

His advice is to be patient.

Slow down, give yourself enough time to get to your destination and don't forget that you have to share the road.

Yates also advises that people stay on the freeways instead of looking for alternate routes.

"People will get off the freeway and try and find an alternate route and as they are trying to pay attention to their maps or GPS they end up running stop signs and we end up with a lot of collisions," says Yates.

CHP will also have extra patrols out on roadways as part of their maximum enforcement period expected to last through the holiday season.