Traffic congestion on highways eases on the first afternoon of the holiday... Expected to clear after 5 PM

Expected 4 Hours 30 Minutes to Busan When Departing at 5 PM

Expected travel time from Seoul to major cities as of 5 PM on the 11th (Source: Korea Expressway Corporation website capture)

[Asia Economy Reporter Minwoo Lee] Traffic congestion on nationwide expressways is easing from the afternoon of the first day of the Lunar New Year holiday. It is expected to clear up around 5 to 6 PM.

According to Korea Expressway Corporation, as of 4:15 PM on the 11th, there is congestion on the Gyeongbu Expressway heading toward Busan near Namsa for 3 kilometers (km), near Cheonan Service Area for 3 km, and from Oksan Junction to Nami Junction for 12 km.

On the Seohaean Expressway toward Mokpo, traffic is slow for a 2 km section near Seohaedaegyo Bridge. On the Yeongdong Expressway toward Gangneung, congestion appears over a total of 6 km near Icheon to Yeoju Service Area. On the Jungbu Naeryuk Expressway toward Changwon, slow traffic continues over a 10 km section from Yeoju Junction to near Gamgok.

On the Capital Region 1st Ring Expressway (Seoul Outer Ring Expressway) toward Guri, congestion is occurring over a total of 6 km near Seo Hanam and from Seoun Junction to Songnae. Toward Ilsan, vehicles are struggling to gain speed over a 3 km section from Jangsu to Songnae.

Congestion in the direction of returning home is expected to clear around 5 to 6 PM, and in the direction of going home around 4 to 5 PM. If departing from Seoul Tollgate by passenger car at 5 PM, it is estimated to take 4 hours 30 minutes to Busan, 3 hours 20 minutes to Gwangju, 3 hours 30 minutes to Daegu, and 2 hours 40 minutes to Gangneung.

Meanwhile, the Expressway Corporation estimated the nationwide traffic volume for the day at 3.78 million vehicles. It is expected that 410,000 vehicles will move from the metropolitan area to local regions, and 320,000 vehicles from local regions to the metropolitan area.