Here's how to avoid traffic at Christiana Mall this holiday season

As the holidays approach, it’s time to prepare for the many unwelcome traditions that come with the seasons: the uncle who knows everything and won’t keep his mouth shut; Christmas Carol Chipmunks (or Mariah Carey) on a bow; Traffic in the mall.

I’m not sure Delaware Online/The News Journal can do much about the first two. But when it comes to minimizing the time you spend stuck in traffic while driving to the state’s busiest mall – Christiana Mall – Delaware Online has put together some potentially helpful solutions, including the best times and days to shop this holiday season.

We primarily provide information about getting around Christiana Mall because no other place in the state comes close to the national mall, especially because it attracts more out-of-state shoppers.

While other malls, stores and Rehoboth Beach branches along Route 1 will be busy, a Delaware Department of Transportation said it is not implementing specific traffic controls or enforcement, as is the case at Christiana Mall – Center Boulevard, the Road that runs between the mall and the Christiana Fashion Center on the way to Costco sees more than 11,000 drivers daily.

This number increases during the holiday season.

Delaware Online has also provided a list of the busiest shopping days in the United States

Getting around Christiana Mall

Steve Chambliss, senior general manager at Christiana Mall Retail, recommends visiting Christiana Mall any time on weekdays and before noon on Saturdays. Nowadays there is constantly little traffic and there are good parking options.

“Black Friday is busy all day long, but it’s more manageable in the morning,” he said.

The challenging times are always Saturdays between 12 p.m. and 5 p.m

The mall is normally open Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. There are some special opening hours this season, including opening at 8am on Black Friday.

Find out about times and special times here.

Chambliss said there are DART bus service to the mall and ride-hailing services that don’t require you to worry about parking.

If it’s not a bus, pay attention to the signs

There are actually several DART bus options to the mall.

Some of the routes that serve Christiana Mall are 5, 15, 33, 51, 54, 64 and 301.

“We see an average of over 3,500 people driving to and from the mall weekly, and this is an alternative to driving,” CR McLeod, a DelDOT spokesman, told Delaware Online. “Riders can even drive to the park and ride at Route 273 and Route 7, just south of the mall, and take the Route 54 or 64 bus into the mall complex to avoid having to travel in and around the mall during peak times .”

For those traveling by car, McLeod said information boards will be placed near the entrance points to the complex that will provide messages about which parking spaces are full, traffic stopping in front of them and information about other traffic scenarios.

“There are seven traffic signals around the mall and fashion center complex that DelDOT manages,” he said. “We adjust the timing, but if the volume gets too high, no change in signal timing can prevent backups from occurring.”

He said the mall has contracted with the Delaware State Police to maintain an intersection presence, primarily to prevent vehicles from blocking intersections and impeding the flow of traffic. DelDOT also has emergency patrol units on site during peak times to assist with incidents and report conditions to the Transportation Management Center.

Predictions for the busiest shopping days

Sensormatic Solutions, which provides retail insights and solutions to businesses, shared its predictions for which 10 days will be the busiest this holiday season. This could help shoppers decide which days and times to go to stores:

Friday November 29th – Black Friday.
Saturday December 21st – Super Saturday.
Monday, December 23rd – The Monday before Christmas.
Sunday, December 22nd – The Sunday before Christmas.
Saturday December 14th – The second Saturday before Christmas.
Saturday November 30th – The Saturday after Black Friday.
Thursday December 26th – Boxing Day.
Saturday December 7th – The third Saturday before Christmas.
Saturday December 28th – The Saturday after Christmas.
Friday, December 20th – The Friday before Christmas.

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Here’s how to avoid traffic at Christiana Mall this holiday season

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