Heavy Traffic on Return Trip Highway... Seoul to Busan Takes 5 Hours 10 Minutes

[Asia Economy Reporter Koo Chae-eun] On the first afternoon of the Lunar New Year holiday, a flood of vehicles heading home has caused major sections of highways nationwide to remain congested. If you depart now, it is expected to take about 5 hours and 10 minutes from Seoul Tollgate to Busan Tollgate.

According to the Korea Expressway Corporation as of 4 p.m. on the 24th, vehicles are moving slowly or are congested over a total distance of 180 km on highways heading from the metropolitan area to provincial areas. On the Gyeongbu Expressway heading toward Busan, congestion is reported in the 3 km section from Hannam to Banpo, a 15 km section near Cheonan Rest Area, and between Hoedeok Junction and Biryong Junction. On the Seohaean Expressway southbound, vehicles are unable to maintain speed in areas such as the 8 km section from Seopyeongtaek to Seohae Bridge.

If departing by passenger car at 4 p.m., it is expected to take 5 hours and 10 minutes from Seoul Tollgate to Busan Tollgate. Under the same conditions, it is expected to take 4 hours and 50 minutes to Ulsan, and 4 hours to Daegu. Additionally, travel times to Daejeon (2 hours 10 minutes), Gangneung (2 hours 50 minutes), Gwangju (3 hours 50 minutes), and Mokpo (4 hours) are also longer than usual weekends.

However, highway congestion is gradually easing after peaking around noon. The Expressway Corporation forecasts that the total traffic volume for the day will reach 4.61 million vehicles. It is estimated that 460,000 vehicles will leave the metropolitan area for provincial areas, while 330,000 vehicles will move from provincial areas to the metropolitan area.